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Research Data Management

 🛈   This guide is an introduction to Research Data Management that can be undertaken at your own pace. It is aimed at researchers or HDRs who are starting a new research project.

 

What is Research Data Management (RDM)?

Research Data Management (RDM) is researchers taking responsibility for the storage, security and retention of data collected during and after the course of their research and ensuring that data is adequately described and understandable by anyone who may need to view it in the future.

The key elements of RDM are Storage, Security, Retention

 

Why is Research Data Management important?

RDM is important for researchers various reasons:

Publishing/Funding Requirements Journal publishers are increasingly requiring research data to be made available at publication, or a Data Availabilty Statement (or Data Access Statement) that outlines the availability of the research data and associated rights statements.
Research Integrity It is a matter of research integrity that the primary data must be available if the research is questioned.
Reputational damage may occur if the data cannot be found. This media release from an Australian university is about primary data not being found which lead the university to request an article retraction, returning the funding, and investigation and review of other papers by the researchers.
Increased Research Impact Research data is a valuable part of the research may be considered a citeable output in the same way as a journal article or other publication.

 

Policy and contractual requirements

  • The University, funders and related organisations will have policies or contractual requirements that outline expectations on the handling, storage and access to research data.
  • Federation University Research Data Management Procedure defines and articulates the University’s requirements on research data management.
  • Funders and other organisations may have contractual requirements around depositing research data into a repository and making research data openly accessible.
    As University of Cambridge page on ‘Funders’ Policies’ states
“The general expectation is that publicly funded research data are a public good, and should be made openly available with as few restrictions as possible. On top of that, funders have their individual data policies which provide beneficiaries with instructions on how to treat research data.”

 

UGent Open Science. Knowledge clip: What is Research Data Management (RDM)? (3:30)

The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research

The section of  'the Code' titled 'Management of Data and Information in Research' clearly lays out responsibilities of institutions and researchers on data management. The following are brief excerpts from the named and linked chapter. It is advisable to read the entire chapter to fully understand the responsibilities.

Under 'the Code', researchers will:
R22 Retain clear, accurate, secure and complete records of all research including research data and primary materials. Where possible and appropriate, allow access and reference to these by interested parties.

 

3.1 Retention and publication

The central aims of retention of data and information are to enable the justification of outcomes of the research and the facilitation of sharing of research data.
Researchers have primary responsibility for deciding which research data and primary materials are candidates for long-term retention and wider accessibility.

3.2 Managing confidential and other sensitive information
Researchers must exercise care in handling confidential or other sensitive information used in or arising from a research project.

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