The University of Queensland established a new Research Data Management service called the UQ Research Data Manager to address research integrity issues and satisfy requirements for research data management. The service will provide centralized infrastructure for the entire research lifecycle including data creation, curation, usage, and publication. It will initially roll out working data storage and access functionality to high-risk schools while emphasizing training and education. The goals are to ensure research data remains secure, accurate and reusable according to FAIR data principles and to meet various compliance requirements.

1. Establishing a UQ Research Data
Management Service
Dr Rebecca Deuble
Scholarly and Communication Services, UQ Library, The
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

2. Overview
• Background
• Research integrity issues at UQ
• New infrastructure – UQ Research Data Manager (RDM) system
• Roll-out of RDM – training, education, policy and procedures
• Benefits associated with the RDM service

3. University of Queensland, Brisbane
• Research-intensive
• 6 faculties and 8 research institutes
• 50+sites – hospitals, mines, farms
etc.
• 50,000+ students (4,600 HDR
students)
• Academic Staff (FTE) = 6,700

4. Images taken from: Todd, H., & Morgan, H. (2017, August). Why horror stories don’t lead to nightmares.
Paper presented at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress, Wroclaw, Poland.

5. Images taken from: Todd, H., & Morgan, H. (2017, August). Why horror stories don’t lead to
nightmares. Paper presented at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress, Wroclaw,
Poland.

6. Common cloud-based storage methods

7. Dropbox horror stories
College Professor: “I Lost Tons Of
Critical Files Because Of Dropbox”
(2013)
“Dropbox data breach: 68 million user account
details leaked” (2016)

8. Fire destroys top research centre
(University of Southampton)

9. Finding the data?
Vines, T.H. et al. (2014). The availability of research data declines rapidly with article age. Curr.
Biol, 24(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.11.014
A report in Current Biology looked for the
data behind 516 ecology papers
published between 1991 and 2011.
“"In theory, the data still exist, but the time and
effort required by the researcher to get them to you
is prohibitive.” (Timothy Vines, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, 2014)

10. Responsibilities of institutions/researchers
R7: Provide facilities for the safe and secure storage and
management of research data, records, and primary
materials and, where possible and appropriate, allow access
and reference to these by interested parties
R8: Identify and comply with relevant legislation,
regulations and policies related to the conduct of research
R20: Retain clear, accurate and complete records of all
research including research data and primary materials and,
where possible and appropriate, allow access and reference
to these by interested parties. Where required, maintain the
confidentiality of research data, records and primary
materials

11. UQ identified the need to develop a central infrastructure that
would:
1. Satisfy the university’s requirements under the “Code”
2. Encompass data creation and curation, as well as short and long term usage (whole
of research lifecycle system)
3. Support existing broad policy statements, such as the “UQ Research Data
Management Policy”

12. UQ Research Data Manager
PUBLISH
RECORD
Metadata
registry
F.A.I.R. data1
Archival
workflows
Auto storage
allocation
IMPACT
ACCESS


1. https://www.force11.org/group/fairgroup/fairprinciples

13. RECORD
Metadata
registry
Auto storage
allocation
ACCESS

 1. Researcher completes a Data
Management Record (DMR) for their
project which includes the minimal
project metadata (e.g. project name,
collaborators).
2. Working data storage is auto-
allocated and made available to edit by
any authorized collaborator.
Accessible via a computer desktop
and/or via the cloud.

15. PUBLISH
F.A.I.R. data
Archival
workflows
IMPACT


3. Unmanaged data can be migrated
to managed datasets, which can then
be linked to publications via the
institutional repository (UQ eSpace).
4. The system will be supported by
appropriate policies and procedures
(in accordance with the FAIR data
principles – Findable, Accessible,
Interoperable, Reusable).

16. Purposeful roll-out of RDM system
• To fully realise the potential of RDM
system, will establish a UQ Research
Data Management Service over next
12 months
• Aim is to roll-out the “Record” and
“Access” components of system
(working data storage) to high risk
schools/institutes first
• Major emphasis on training and
education

17. Research Data Champions
• To ease adoption and promote best-
practice RDM have identified number of
“Champions”
• Includes researchers who have been
actively involved in system pilot
• Will assist with outreach to own
groups/schools

18. RDM features to launch
• User documentation– explaining main workflows (e.g. how to request storage)
• User training – including liaison librarians (prior to launch)
• Project metadata harvesting
• Automated storage allocation – brokered by ITS in production system
• Access to project storage via “UQ mapped drive” for UQ users at all UQ sites
• Access to Cloud based interface and sync client (where appropriate)
• Persistent ID's for research projects (RAiD) and persistent ID's of users (ORCiD) will
be harvested where possible

19. Best-practice RDM standards
• Promote awareness through policy and supporting procedures
• Research data stored securely during research project and archived for minimum
required retention periods
• Data curation throughout whole lifecycle
• Published outputs will specify how to access any relevant supporting research data
• Metadata describing archived data will be published in institutional repository (UQ
eSpace)
• Data custodian “chain of command”
• Restricted data – published metadata will provide justification etc.

20. Benefits of a comprehensive RDM service
For research data:
 Remains accurate, authentic, reliable, and complete
 Retains integrity and research results may be replicated
 Security is enhanced, minimising risk of data loss
 Reuse is enabled by collecting critical metadata early
 Available in accordance with FAIR data principles
Other benefits:
 Funding, journal, regulatory body requirements are met
 Research administration effort is kept to a minimum

21. Rebecca Deuble – Project Officer (RDM)
Email: r.deuble@library.uq.edu.au
Thank you for listening