This document summarizes a presentation on research data management. It discusses the key activities, roles, requirements and drivers of RDM. Stakeholders include researchers, institutions, funding bodies and data repositories. Institutions are developing RDM policies, services and infrastructure to meet growing requirements from funders around data sharing and preservation. Research data management planning is important to address issues like data documentation, sharing, storage and long-term preservation.

1. … because good research needs good data
Digital Curation 101
University of Glamorgan
21 January 2013
Michael Day
Digital Curation Centre
UKOLN, University of Bath
m.day@ukoln.ac.uk
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

2. … because good research needs good data
Agenda
• Part 1. Introduction to research data management:
activities, roles and requirements
• Exercise: Data management quiz
• Part 2. Developing data policies and services
• Exercise: Developing a roadmap
• Part 3: DMP Online tool and guidance
• With thanks to Joy Davidson, Sarah Jones and Kerry Miller
(DCC)
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

3. … because good research needs good data
Introduction to Research Data
Management: activities, roles and
requirements
Michael Day and Kerry Miller
Digital Curation Centre
UKOLN, University of Bath
m.day@ukoln.ac.uk
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

4. … because good research needs good data
A Quick Introduction
• What is research data management?
• Who is involved and how?
• What skills and support are needed?
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

5. … because good research needs good data
What is Research Data Management?
• Caring for,
• Facilitating access to,
• Preserving and
• Adding value to digital
research data throughout its
lifecycle.
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

6. … because good research needs good data
Typical Activities
• Creation and sharing of data
• File naming and description
• Dealing appropriately with
sensitive data
• Data storage
• Appraisal, selection and
disposal
• Data licensing
• Data management planning
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

7. … because good research needs good data
What are the main drivers?
• National and international policy development
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
describes data as a public good that should be made available
• Research Councils UK in its Code of Good Research Conduct says
data should be preserved and accessible for 10 years +
• The data management policies of funding bodies are increasingly
demanding of institutional commitment and provisions ...
• The needs of
• Researchers
• Institutions
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

8. … because good research needs good data
Benefits to researchers
• Scholarly communication/access to data
• Re-purposing and re-use of data
• Stimulating new networks/collaborations &
• new research
• Knowledge transfer to industry
• Verification of research/research integrity
• Re-purposing data for new audiences
• Secure storage for data intensive research
• Availability of data underpinning journal articles
• Increased visibility/citation
Keeping Research Data Safe Factsheet
Keeping Research Data Safe Factsheet
http://www.beagrie.com/KRDS_Factsheet_0910.pdf
http://www.beagrie.com/KRDS_Factsheet_0910.pdf
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

9. … because good research needs good data
The researcher perspective
• Managing and sharing data is simply part of good
research:
• Adhering to disciplinary and/or institutional codes of practice
and policies
• Has been practiced since the advent of modern science, but
not always consistently; data intensive research makes it
even more critical
• Meeting the specific requirements of funding bodies
• Reputational risks if data management is not handled
properly
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

10. … because good research needs good data
Institutional drivers
• Safeguarding research integrity
• Increasing number of FOI requests for data
• Adhering to existing codes of research practice and ethics
• Developing new institution-wide strategies, policies and services
for data storage and management
• Increased institutional focus on research management (e.g., in
response to REF)
• Benchmarking – self-assessing infrastructure and planning for
improvement
• More demands but less resources to work with
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

11. … because good research needs good data
Research codes of practice (1)
• UK Research Integrity Office Code of Practice for
Research (2009)
Data management planning is an essential part of research
design
Organisations should have in place procedures, resources
(including physical space) and administrative support to
assist researchers in the accurate and efficient collection of
data and its storage in a secure and accessible form [3.12.5]
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

12. … because good research needs good data
Research codes of practice (2)
• RCUK Code of Conduct on the Governance of Good
Research Conduct (2011)
Primary data and research evidence [should be made]
accessible to others for reasonable periods after the
completion of the research: data should normally be
preserved and accessible for 10 yrs (in some cases 20 yrs or
longer)
Responsibility for proper management and preservation of
data and primary materials is shared between the researcher
and the research organisation [although deposit within
national collections is endorsed]
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

13. … because good research needs good data
Research funding bodies
• UK Research Councils
• Help fund some data archives, e.g.:
• Archaeology Data Service, European Bioinformatics
Institute, the NERC data centres, UK Data Archive
• Support for JISC (and DCC)
• RCUK Common Principles on Data Policy
• Recognises that data are a critical output of the research
process
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/Pages/DataPolicy.aspx
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

14. … because good research needs good data
RCUK Principles (in a nutshell)
• Publicly funded research data should be made openly available
• Data with acknowledged long-term value should be preserved and
remain accessible and usable for future research
• Sufficient metadata should be recorded to enable other researchers to
find and understand the research to enable re-use; published results
should always include information on how to access the supporting data
• Recognition that there may be legal, ethical and commercial constraints
• Recognition that researchers may need privileged use of data for a
limited period
• All users of research data should acknowledge their sources
• Appropriate to use public funds to support MRD
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

15. … because good research needs good data
Funder expectations
• Institutions need to inform themselves about main
funder policies (mandates) with respect to research
data management
• There is an explicit link between research income and
appropriate data management infrastructures
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

16. … because good research needs good data
Funder policies
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/policy-and-legal/overview-funders-data-poli
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

17. … because good research needs good data
EPSRC expectations (1)
• EPSRC policy (2011) expected all institutions
receiving grant funding:
• To develop a roadmap aligning their policies and processes
with EPSRC’s expectations by 1st May 2012
• To be fully compliant with these expectations by 1st May
2015
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

18. … because good research needs good data
EPSRC expectations (2)
• Appropriate metadata (including unique IDs) to be made
freely available on the Internet within 12 months of data
generation
• Data not generated in digital format should be stored in a
manner to facilitate it being shared
• Data should be securely preserved for a minimum of 10
years after privileged access expires or the last date access
was requested by a third party
• Adequate resources from existing funding streams
• EPSRC will monitor progress and compliance, and reserves
the right to impose appropriate sanctions
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

19. … because good research needs good data
Implications for researchers
• Increasing number of research councils and funding bodies with data
management and sharing requirements
• Potential loss of research income if these mandates are not met
• Need to determine the costs associated with short and longer-term
management and curation and to request funds as part of grant
• Responsibility for infrastructure shifting more to HEIs and less to
centralised data archives, but institutional infrastructures and services
are still emerging
• Need guidance - some good external support
• But also need more local support; often fragmented (need to draw upon
existing channels within your institution wherever possible)
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

20. … because good research needs good data
Activities, roles, requirements (1)
• Requirements gathering
• Identifying researchers’ data requirements
• Developing a shared understanding of what needs to be
done (e.g., identifying where data exist, its form and scale,
any existing retention requirements)
• Identifying good practice within the institution (and the
opposite)
• Methods: surveys, focus groups, case studies, joint R&D
projects, assessment tools (e.g. DAF)
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

21. … because good research needs good data
Activities, roles, requirements (2)
• Identifying motivations and benefits
• For researchers, support services, the institution
• Identifying risks
• Data loss (institution, research group, individual)
• Increased costs (lack of planning, service inefficiency, data
loss)
• Legal compliance (research funder, H&S, ethics, FoI)
• Reputation (institution, unit, individual)
• Identifying costs
• Keeping Research Data Safe (KRDS) toolkit
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

22. … because good research needs good data
Activities, roles, requirements (3)
• Assessing institutional preparedness
• Identifying institutional stakeholders, existing data support services,
gaps
• Benchmarking and planning for the future
• Skills audit
• DCC CARDIO tool
• Policy development
• Policies – approval by senior management is just the start; policies
need to be embedded in research practice and responsive to
changing requirements
• Data management planning
• DMP online, DCC How-to Develop a Data Management Plan guide
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

23. … because good research needs good data
Activities, roles, requirements (4)
• Implementation and service development
• Integrating where possible with existing services, e.g. IR,
CRIS, VRE, HPC, cloud services, social media, etc.
• Appraisal, deciding what needs to be kept and for how long
• Storage choices – no one-size-fits-all solution, e.g. Bristol’s
BluePeta petascale storage facility, Bath’s X-Drive approach,
cloud approaches
• Data documentation and metadata – layered approaches:
top-level discovery (core metadata, collection/experiment-
level?), role of standards like DCMI, CERIF, DDI, etc.
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

24. … because good research needs good data
Activities, roles, requirements (5)
• Data issues:
• Appraisal: selection criteria, retention periods (who decides?)
• DCC How to appraise and select research data for
curation guide
• Documentation: metadata, schema, semantics
• Formats: proprietary formats, community standards, etc.
• Provenance and authenticity
• Citation (assignment of persistent IDs?)
• Access (embargo policies?)
• Licensing
• DCC How to license research data guide
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

25. … because good research needs good data
Who are involved?
• Funding bodies
• Archives / long-term data repositories
• At institutions:
• Senior management
• Researcher(s)
• Research support officers / project staff
• Lab technicians
• Librarians / Data Centre staff
• Faculty ethics committees
• Institutional legal / IP advisors
• FOI officer / DPA officer / records manager
• Computing support
• Institutional compliance officers
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

26. … because good research needs good data
Approaching the Issue
• What data exist and are being created?
• Where are greatest recoups on investment available?
• Training?
• Storage?
• Policy development
• What are the requirements?
• Who needs to be involved?
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

27. … because good research needs good data
Making the most of what we’ve got
• Local expertise more
widespread than you
think
• Ethics committees
• Data protection office
• IT Services
• Repository Service
• If you need help, ask!
From University of Glasgow’s Data Management micro-site
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

28. … because good research needs good data
Data management planning
• A plan to address critical data management issues:
• What data will be created (format, types) and how?
• How will the data be documented and described?
• How will ethics and intellectual property considerations be
addressed?
• What are the plans for data sharing and access?
• What is the strategy for long-term preservation?
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

29. … because good research needs good data
Integrating is a tricky business
• Make a sound case for investing in data management training
• Draw upon existing policies and mandates wherever you can
• Spend some time identifying current data holdings, researchers’
practice and future training needs
• Make sure you are putting your effort where it will count
• Don’t reinvent the wheel – augment or adapt existing training
and support materials with data management aspects
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

30. … because good research needs good data
What the DCC can help with
Needs assessment
CARDIO Tool– collaborative assessment & benchmarking of
RDM strengths/weaknesses
Data Asset Framework – interviews to scope current RDM
practice and recommend improvements
Developing strategic institutional RDM framework
Workflow assessment – methodology for analysing current
Strategy development – getting key people together to discuss/plan for
RDM workflows
RDM
Policy development – scoping, defining, embedding research data policies
Delivering support
Costing - assist with the development of costing and pricing for RDM
Customised Data Management Plans – templates / guidance to
services
be added to DMP Online
Risk management - identify risks in RDM practice and recommend
Training – institutional/disciplinary tailored courses, online
mitigations
resources
Institutional data catalogues - recommend options for exposing metadata
Incremental – repackaging existing support to raise awareness
about your research data via CRIS systems, repositories, or a mix of these
and make guidance more meaningful to researchers
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

31. … because good research needs good data
Exercise: How are you performing?
• Individually, complete the quick data management
quiz (5 mins)
• Compare results, try to learn from those with
confidence in those areas in which you consider
yourself to be weaker (10 mins)
• Based on your group’s discussions...
• Write down one practical thing you can do at work in order to
edge towards an A.
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

32. … because good research needs good data
Part 2:
Developing data policies and
services
Based on a presentation prepared by Sarah Jones
(Digital Curation Centre)
sarah.jones@glasgow.ac.uk
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

33. … because good research needs good data
Outline
• Who is responsible for RDM?
• What are the components of a data service?
• Learning lessons from other HEIs
• Developing roadmaps
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

34. … because good research needs good data
Who is responsible for RDM?
Funders
Advisory Data
bodies centres
Research
Organisations
Support Publishers
services
Researchers
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

35. … because good research needs good data
Components of a research data service?
Tools Support staff & services
Metadata and documentation
Research
Archive
environment&
Storage
systems Preserve
Back-up
RDM policies & Share
Access
Advocacy (senior mgmt & researcher)
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

36. … because good research needs good data
Data storage – Bristol example
• £2m funding to date
• Petascale facility – expandable
• 3 machine rooms – resilience
(tape archive 2012)
• Available to all researchers for
research data
Blue Peta at Bristol
1st 5TB free per Data Steward then
£400 per TB p.a. for disk storage;
tape backup £40 per TB
http://data.bris.ac.uk Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

37. … because good research needs good data
Tools – an ‘academic dropbox’
Piloted at Lincoln & Edinburgh
www.dataflow.ox.ac.uk http://tiny.cc/owncloud-pilot
National level negotiation via Janet brokerage?
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

38. … because good research needs good data
Archiving – institutional data repositories
Not intended to replace
national, subject or other
established data collections
http://datashare.is.ed.ac.uk Essex-RDR and
Acknowledgment of hybrid DataPool at Southampton
environment
www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/
https://databank.ora.ox.ac.uk
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

39. … because good research needs good data
Archiving – external data centres
Research funders’ data centres…
Structured databases
Disciplinary&
community List of data centres:
initiatives http://databib.org
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

40. … because good research needs good data
Data catalogues (metadata)
• DataFinder at Oxford
Develop a research data • DDI metadata by
extension to the CERIF standard
ResearchData@Essex
http://cerif4datasets.wordpress.com
JISC & DCC planning national coordination
Can we learn lessons from overseas?
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

41. … because good research needs good data
Guidance and training
Collate guidance
www.gla.ac.uk/datamanagement
Online training
http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra
Embed into curriculum via
Doctoral Training Centres
e.g. Research360@Bath
http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/research360
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

42. … because good research needs good data
Disciplinary training (RDMTrain)
www.dcc.ac.uk/training/train-trainer/
disciplinary-rdm-training
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

43. … because good research needs good data
Early research data policies
“Statement of commitment” legal compliance style
 Infrastructure  policy a section in uni DM policy
useful guide as appendix
“10 commandments”
mutual promises
aspirational
Based on Edin.
with a few
Baseline of RCUK Code
additions
+ procedures & support
www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/policy-and-legal/institutional-
Funded by:
data-policies
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

44. … because good research needs good data
How are others developing policies?
Theme from MRD workshop in Leeds:
High level policy (ratified)
+
User guides, practical support
+
RDM Infrastructure
Developing data policies:
a trend for 2012 http://tiny.cc/MRD-policy-workshop
http://tiny.cc/PolicyNews
(news post from Dec 2011)
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

45. … because good research needs good data
Policy development
“EPSRC expects all those it funds to have developed a clear
roadmap to align their policies and processes with EPSRC’s
expectations by 1st May 2012, and to be fully compliant with
these expectations by 1st May 2015.”
www.epsrc.ac.uk/about/standards/researchdata/Pages/impact.aspx
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

46. … because good research needs good data
What is the EPSRC looking for?
• Know what you hold – publish metadata
• Link publications and data
• Share data wherever possible http://tiny.cc/
EPSRC-data-policy
• Curate and preserve valuable data
The same as other funders (i.e. good research practice)
so think broadly when you develop your strategy
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

47. … because good research needs good data
Exercise: Developing a roadmap for RDM
Think about the potential components of a RDM service
Based on the strengths/weaknesses you identified in the quiz:
• Draft a list of actions needed at your institution
• Attempt to prioritise your list and pencil in timeframes (consider
quick wins!)
• Decide who needs to be involved to make this happen?
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

48. … because good research needs good data
Part 3
DMP Online tool and guidance
Based on a presentation prepared by Sarah Jones
and Joy Davidson (DCC)
sarah.jones@glasgow.ac.uk
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

49. … because good research needs good data
Funders have DMP requirements
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/policy-and-legal/overview-funders-data-policies
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

50. … because good research needs good data
Funding body requirements
• Typically a short (c.1-2 pp) statement, covering:
• What data will be created (format, types, volume, avoidance
of duplication)
• Standards and methodologies to be used (including
metadata)
• How ethics and Intellectual Property will be addressed
• Plans for data sharing and access
• Strategy for long-term preservation
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

51. … because good research needs good data
DCC support
• Guidance
• Examples
• Tools
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

52. … because good research needs good data
What is DMP Online?
• A web-based tool to help researchers write plans
• It features:
• Templates based on different requirements
• Tailored guidance (disciplinary, funder etc)
• Customised exports to a variety of formats
• Ability to share DMPs with others
• https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

53. … because good research needs good data
Start a plan
Pick relevant
funder
template
Get a list of
their
specific
questions Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

54. … because good research needs good data
Create a plan
at the
bid stage
...answer
the
questions
based on
initial
research Funded by:
ideas
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

55. … because good research needs good data
Once funded,
flesh the plan
out
(roles, etc)
...answer
the
questions
based on
detailed Funded by:
workplan
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

56. … because good research needs good data
When project
is finished
...answer
the
questions
based on
the outputs
that are Funded by:
being
kept DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

57. … because good research needs good data
Institutional customisation
Add your logo, URL, colours
Profile local support, boilerplate text
Select desired
questions
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/blog/tailoring-dmp-online-for-your-institution
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

58. … because good research needs good data
Links to specific examples
Thinks about why
the questions are
being asked – what
are funders looking
for?
Gives examples,
local if possible
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/datamanagement/dmp/framewo
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

59. … because good research needs good data
Top tips
• Encourage researchers to start early - not wait
until the last minute!
• The plan will - and should - change over life of
project.
• Get other support staff involved - ethics, IT,
library, RM, DP/FoI
• Update the plan with project updates
• Use plan as a communication tool - with
partners, funding bodies and yourself!
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013

60. … because good research needs good data
Thank you!
Any questions?
Michael Day,
Digital Curation Centre
UKOLN, University of Bath
m.day@ukoln.ac.uk
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/
Funded by:
DCC 101, University of Glamorgan, 21 January 2013