Introduction toResearch

Management

Data Working GroupKatherine Akers

Cole HudsonJim Van Loon

Research data lifecycle

Why share and preserve data?

● To meet funding agency and/or publisher requirements● To validate research results ● To enable the re-use or re-purposing of data● To enhance research impact (visibility, citations, etc.)

Data sharing and management snafu in three short acts

http://youtu.be/N2zK3sAtr-4

Barriers to data sharing

● Takes too much time● Fear of getting ‘scooped’● Fear of misinterpretation or misuse of data● Fear of exposing errors● No scholarly credit● No established culture of data sharing in many fields

Journal data sharing policies

In press at Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology

Out of 371 science and social science journals surveyed, ~50% had data sharing policies.

Example: http://www.plos.org/policies/

National Institutes of HealthNational Science FoundationNational Endowment for the HumanitiesDepartment of EducationDepartment of EnergyAmerican Heart AssociationDepartment of Health and Human ServicesNational Aeronautics and Space AdministrationUS Geological SurveyCenters for Disease Control and PreventionBill and Melinda Gates FoundationDepartment of AgricultureInstitute of Museum and Library ServicesAlfred P. Sloan FoundationGordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Funder data sharing policies

National Science FoundationData Management Plans

All grant applications must include a 1-2 page data management plan describing how data will be managed during the project and shared after the project.

National Science FoundationData Management Plans

1. Types of data producedWhat data will be produced?How much data will be produced?

2. Data formats and metadataWhat file formats will be used?How will data be documented and described?

3. Policies for access and sharingWhen and how will data be distributed?How will privacy or intellectual property concerns be addressed?

4. Policies for re-useWhat conditions will be placed on data re-use, re-distribution, or production of derivatives?

5. Plans for archiving and long-term preservationFor how long will data be kept?What preservation strategies will be used?

Example data management plan

Ways of sharing research data

Data e-mailed

upon request

Public data repository or

archive

Data posted on personal

website

Data as supplemental

files for journal articles

Data Sharing Continuum

Data repositories

Things to consider when selecting and using a repository:● Open vs. restricted access● Sustainability and preservation policy● Proprietary vs. non-proprietary file formats● Amount of data description/metadata

(data package-level, file-level, item-level)● Associated code and software

Hundreds to thousands of general, institutional, and subject-specific data repositories.

Directories of data repositories: databib.org, re3data.org

Data repository safari

● What is the data deposit process?● Are there data deposit fees?● Are data easy to browse/search?● How extensive is the associated

metadata or documentation?● How long will data be preserved?

Data journals and data papers

Article outline:

● Abstract● Background● Methods● Data records● Technical validation● Usage notes● References● Data citations

Data journals and data papers

>180 data journals in many subject areas:

● General Science● Agriculture● Archeology● Astronomy● Biomedicine● Chemistry and physics● Digital humanities● Earth sciences● Ecology and

evolutionary biology● Psychology● Public health & policy● Robotics● Statistics

Example of paper linked to dataset

Data paper Data repository

Digital object identifier

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