This document provides an overview of research data management (RDM) at the University of Leeds. It defines research data and discusses best practices for managing data during an active project and for long-term archiving after a project is complete. The benefits of proper RDM include avoiding data loss, increasing efficiency, supporting research integrity and enabling collaboration. Funders also require data management plans and data sharing. The University of Leeds Library provides support and resources for RDM and recommends repositories for archiving research data.

1. Research Data Management
Partnering with research
Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law
Nick Sheppard
19th September 2016
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jannekestaaks/14391226325
© Janneke Staaks (CC-BY-NC)

2. Overview
• What is research data?
• Research Data Management (RDM)
• During project (active)
• Post-project (archive)
• Benefits and drivers
• Funder requirements
• Data Management Planning
• Support
Image source: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/research-data-management
©Jisc and Bonner McHardy
CC BY-NC-ND

3. What is research data?
• Text
• Numerical
• Multimedia
• Models
• Software
• Discipline specific
• Instrument specific

4. Activities involved in
RDM
Type, format volume of data, chosen software for
long-term access, secondary data, file naming,
structure, versioning, quality assurance processes.
Information needed for the
data to be understood in
future, metadata standards,
methodology, definition of
variables, format & file type of
data.
Access restrictions, risks to
data security, appropriate
methods to transfer / share
data, encryption, legal,
ethical issues.
Secure & sufficient storage for active
data, regular backups, disaster recovery
Make data publicly
available (where
possible) at the end
of a project, license
data, any restrictions
on sharing, access
controls?
Select retention
period, repository
choice, costs
involved in long-
term storage?
Data Management Planning
Day-to-daymanagementofdata
Long-termmanagementofdata
© Stuart Macdonald/EDINA. Used with permission

5. Benefits of RDM
• Avoid data loss
• Increase efficiency
• Validation – research integrity
• Visibility and impact
• Citable data – credit for your work
• Enable collaboration
© Marco Verch (CC-BY)
Image source

6. RDM requirements
• Funders
• RCUK (ESRC)
• Concordat on Open Research Data
• Wellcome
• Horizon 2020
• University of Leeds Research Data
Management Policy
• Data Management Plan (DMP)
• Institutional templates
• DMPOnline
© Carole Raddato (CC-BY-SA)
Image source

7. Support
https://library.leeds.ac.uk/research-data

8. Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
“Data are the main assets of economic and social research. We recognise publicly-funded research data as
valuable, long-term resources that, where practical, must be made available for secondary scientific research.”
ESRC Research Data Policy
This plan looks at managing quantitative and qualitative
data, including audio interviews. The plan discusses ethical
issues around a very sensitive dataset, including using
consent and anonymisation to generate data which can be
shared and reused.

9. DMPOnline

13. Choose a repository
• Research Data Leeds Repository
• Research Data Leeds Registry
• ESRC – UK Data Service
• ReShare repository
• Wellcome Trust
• Deposit data in any
recognised data repository
• re3data.org
• Deposit with recommended
service
• Email DOI or URL to
researchdataenquiries@leeds.ac.u
k
ReShare is where ESRC grant holders submit the data from their
research grants, as a contractual requirement under the ESRC
research data policy.

14. Deposit in Research Data Leeds
https://library.leeds.ac.uk/research-data-deposit
http://archive.researchdata.leeds.ac.uk/

15. Secondary analysis
• Timescapes
• Qualitative Longitudinal data