The document discusses best practices for research data management, including creating a data management plan that addresses what data will be generated, how it will be organized and documented, how it will be stored securely and backed up, whether and how it can be shared and reused, and how it will be preserved and archived in the long term such as by depositing it in an institutional repository. It provides guidance on the key elements to address in a data management plan and resources for creating plans and managing research data over its entire lifecycle.

1. Research Data Management Best Practices
Dalal Rahme
Data Services Librarian
American University of Beirut

2. American University of Beirut
Research Data
“Recorded factual
material commonly accepted in
the scientific community as
necessary to validate research
findings.” (NIH, 2003)
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3. American University of Beirut
Research Data Lifecycle
Create
Process
Analyse
???
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4. What seems to be the problem?

6. American University of Beirut
Digital obsolescence
 Software: the software
needed to access the digital
file becomes obsolete.
 Hardware: the hardware
needed to access the digital
file becomes obsolete

7. American University of Beirut
Making Data FAIR
Findable
• Persistent identifier (like a DOI or Handle)
• Rich metadata for description
• Available via discovery portals
Accessible
• Clarity and transparency around the conditions governing access and reuse
Interoperable
• Use of community agreed formats, language and vocabularies for data and metadata
Reusable
• Rich contextual information
• Information on how data was formed
• Machine readable metadata and licensing information
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8. American University of Beirut
Research Data Management
 Involves curation and preservation of
both data and associated metadata
 Extents beyond the project life-cycle
(long-term) to ensure sustained
accessibility and re-use
 Requires effective planning – i.e.
Research Data Management Plan (RDMP or DMP)
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Digital
Object
Metadata+

9. American University of Beirut
Selected Funders requiring a DMP
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10. What is a Data Management
Plan(DMP)?

11. American University of Beirut
A Data Management Plan
 A short document
 A living document
 Required by many funding agencies
 Includes 2 topics:
 What data will your research generate?
 What is your plan for managing the data?
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I. Data Production
What data will you collect or create?
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How will the data be collected or created?
Tools/ Software
Scripts
Time frame
Data Production
Proprietary
vs
Non-
Proprietary
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In which format the data
will be kept?

14. American University of Beirut
Formats
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II. Description and Organization
Describing and organizing
your data makes analysis
easier for you and
provides context for those
you want to share the data
with.
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16. American University of Beirut
Documentation
• Detailing your methods
helps people understand
what you did
• And helps make your work
reproducible
• Conclusions can be verified
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17. American University of Beirut
Metadata
“Metadata is structured information that describes, explains, locates,
or otherwise represents something else.” (NISO, 2004)
 Some fields of research have already defined their metadata
standards: Darwin Core (Biology), VRA Core (Visual Art), EBU
Core (Audiovisual Content)
 Repositories ask you as depositor to provide metadata along with
your file.
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19. American University of Beirut
Naming conventions
Consider including:
• Unique Identifiers such as project name or grant number
• Conditions such as lab instrument, solvent..etc
• Date
• Version number
Example1:
aub_aco000001_000001_m.tif
aub_aco000001_000001_d.tif
(organization_projectnamebooknumber_page number_master/derivative copy. format
Example 2:
micro_hhl_20170620_dr_001.tif
(instrument_insectname_date_initials_sequential number.format)
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20. American University of Beirut
Access and Security

21. Sharing Research Data is important
because…
• It promotes innovation and potential new data uses
• It maximizes transparency and accountability
• It encourages the improvement and validation of research methods
• It reduces the cost of duplicating data collection
• It increases the impact and visibility of research
• It promotes the research that created the data and its outcomes
• It provides a direct credit to the researcher as a research output in its own
right

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III. Access and Security
Your DMP should include information on how to protect
and secure your data.
How will the data be backed up? And how frequent?
Who will be responsible for the backing up?
How will the data be recovered in the event of an incident?
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23. American University of Beirut
III. Access and Security
Consider AUB campus specific information on Security:
 IT security: Data Classification Policy
 IRB at AUB
 AUBMC Access to medical records for research
 AUB Data Bank Institutional Repository Policy
Consider Laws and Legislations:
Access to Information Law in Lebanon
HIIPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
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24. American University of Beirut
IV. Reuse and Sharing
Creative Commons
licenses provide
options for selecting
how you would like to
allow others to use
your data.
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25. American University of Beirut
V. Archiving and Preservation
Think about what will
happen to your data
long-term, beyond its
current use in the
project.
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26. American University of Beirut
V. Archiving and Preservation
Deposit your data
in an institutional
repository:
AUB Scholarworks
AUB Data Bank
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• Storage
• Backup
• Discoverability
• Structured
Metadata
Preservation
• Accessibility
• Citation
• Unique identifier
(handle)
Visibility • Embargo
• Access Restriction
• Institutional
Support
Control

28. American University of Beirut
V. Archiving and Preservation
There are lots of general and subject specific repositories
Searchable list of repositories by subject or country: https://www.re3data.org/
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29. The DMPTOOL
https://dmptool.org/

31. Funder guidance
Public plans
Data management resources

32. Sign in

33. American University of Beirut
Thank you
More info
http://tiny.cc/dataservices
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