Dr. Chris Emmerson Research Data Manager · RDM Landscape •Key element of good research conduct –not new •RCUK Common Principles, 2011 / EPSRC, 2015 •Drivers: –Public good

Data Management Planning

Dr. Chris Emmerson

Research Data Manager

Welcome

Part 1

• RDM Landscape

• Research Data Service

• Data Lifecycle

Part 2

• Data Management Planning

• Exercise

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RDM Landscape

• Key element of good research conduct – not new

• RCUK Common Principles, 2011 / EPSRC, 2015

• Drivers:

– Public good

– Digital data

• Expensive to make but inexpensive to share

90% of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years”

Åse Dragland - 20152

What is Data?

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• The lowest level of abstraction from which information and knowledge are derived

“facts, observations or experiences on which an argument, theory or test is based. Data may be

numerical, descriptive or visual. Data may be rawor analysed, experimental or observational”

(The University of Melbourne, 2010)

• Both analogue and digital materials are data

Funders Except

• Data management plans

• Data to be handled appropriately

• Timely release of data

• Discoverable data

• Preservation of data

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Research Data Service

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Library

URO

Faculties

NUIT

Planning

Creating Data

Processing Data

Analysing Data

Preserving Data

Re-using Data

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What’s Involved in RDM?

• Data management planning• Data creation• Annotating / documenting data• Analysis, use, versioning• Storage and backup• Publishing papers and data• Preparing for deposit• Archiving and sharing• Licensing• Funding • Citing

Data Management Plans

• Why plan?

• How are funders currently evaluating DMPs

• What makes a ‘good’ DMP

• What to look for in a DMP

• Exercise

Anyone written one?

Creating Data

Processing Data

Analysing DataPreserving Data

Re-using Data

Planning

• To help you manage your data

• To make informed decisions so you don’t have to figure out things as you go

• To anticipate and avoid problems e.g. data loss or not enough storage

• To ensure your data continue to be usable throughout and beyond your project

• To help you win ethical approval

• Funder requirement

• To make your life easier!– post viva

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Data Management Plans (DMP)

• What do they include?1. What data will be created and how?2. How the data will be structured and stored3. The plans for sharing and preserving the data

• Who requires them?• RCUK• Some charities (e.g. Cancer Research UK)• H2020• Newcastle University (encourages)

• When are they required?– Most at application stage, except:

• NERC • H2020• EPSRC 9

Themes in a DMP

• Data Description(content, type, format, volume … sense of scale)

• Standards and Metadata(what standards are being used to allow others to find, understand and reuse the data)

• Data Sharing(how, when, to whom, any delay to sharing)

• Archiving and Preservation(deposited in a suitable repository, which data will be preserved, costs)

DMP Requirements

• Lots of funders have DMP requirements

• Review differs and monitoring is variable

• Conditional offers

What Makes a Good DMP?

Has the researcher taken time to

reflect on what to do?

• No absolute right answers

• Due consideration has been given

• Engagement with the issues

Key Things to Consider

• Is the plan appropriate?– adopting relevant standards

– practices in line with norms for that field

– use of support services e.g. university storage, subject repositories…

• Does it seem feasible to implement?

• Has sufficient detailed information been provided?

• Has advice been sought where needed?

• Are restrictions and costs properly justified?

Is the Information Specific Enough

“we will use suitable formats to ensure that our data can be preserved and sustained over the long

term”

• Which formats? Name them

• Does the team know which are suitable?

• Does the chosen repository have preferences?

Are Decisions Justified

“data will be made available upon

request to bona fide medieval historians”

• Why is it restricted?

• Could other communities not reuse the data?

• Will the research team be around to handle access requests in the future?

Credit:– Daniele Cybulskie – Medievalisits

A Better Response

“We will provide MP3 audio files for online dissemination. While this is not an open format, it is well-established and the most widely supported.

High-resolution WAV files will be used for the archival master recordings.”

• Being clear, specific and detailed

• Justify decisions

Make it Easy for Reviewers to Evaluate

“Online resource development will cost £21,000”

versus

“Online resource development, 60 days at £350”

• Don’t make reviewers dig around for information

• Be consistent in what the DMP and proposal says

Advice from Reviewers

• First impressions count – Stick to page limits, follow the template if mandated,

provide information in the relevant section…

• Beware blanket copy/paste– A limited amount of information can be provided as

boilerplate text. Always read and adjust to your project

• Avoid hyperbole and buzzwords– Stick to clear statements and the strength of your technical

approach will evidence itself

UK Rubrics Project

Sector developing a rubrics for major research funders:

• All RCUK

• CRUK

• Wellcome

• NIHR

• H2020

• A rubric for the 'ideal' non-funded DMP

Credit: JimmytheJ – flickr

Exercise

In small groups review a DMP from the MRC

Discuss: the good, the bad and the missing …

Report back

http://research.ncl.ac.uk/rdm/

Find out more

[email protected]

Contact us

RDM Support

Chris EmmersonResearch Data Manager

Resources

• Online guidance: http://research.ncl.ac.uk/rdm/

• Pilot repository: https://rdm.ncl.ac.uk/

• Guides:

– DCC’s How to develop a data management and sharing plan

– UKDA’s Managing and sharing data

• Online DMP tool reflecting funders’, institutional and disciplinary requirements (UoN version coming soon)

• Tutorials:

– University of Edinburgh: MANTRA research data management training course

– University of Bristol: Research data bootcamp

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Resources

• Consent:

– UK Data Archive

• Anonymisation

– UK Data Archive

• General Repositories

– Datacite

– Re3Data (search engine)

– Figsahre

– Zenodo

– Research Data Discovery Service (Alpha)

– Dryad (life sciences)

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