Do You Still Have Your Data? • What if your hard drive crashes? • What if you are accused of fraud? • What if your collaborator abruptly quits? • What if the building burns down? • What if you need to use your old data? • What if your backup fails? • What if your computer gets stolen?
This presentation was given by myself and Brad Houston (http://www.slideshare.net/herodotusjr), for UWM's Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) series in Fall of 2013. It covers data management plans and practical data management tips. The corresponding handout is also available on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/kbriney/rcr-data-management-handout
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Transcript
Do You Still Have Your Data?
• What if your hard drive crashes?• What if you are accused of fraud?• What if your collaborator abruptly quits?• What if the building burns down?• What if you need to use your old data?• What if your backup fails?• What if your computer gets stolen?• What if…
Data Management &Data Management Plans
Responsible Conduct of Research22 November 2013
Kristin Briney & Brad Houston
Why Data Management?
• Don’t lose data• Find data more easily– Especially if you need older data
• Easier to analyze organized, documented data• Avoid accusations of fraud & misconduct• Get credit for your data• Don’t drown in irrelevant data
For each minute of planning at beginning of a project, you will save 10 minutes of headache later
• “Research data is defined as the recorded factual material commonly accepted in the scientific community as necessary to validate research findings”– OMB Circular A-110
What kind of data is it?◦ (See Kristin’s slide on the 4 categories)
What are the key characteristics of the data? ◦ (File Format? Size? Programs needed to access it?)
Can I recreate the data, if needed? What infrastructure is available to manage it?
◦ On-campus and off-campus– don’t limit yourself Is the data intelligible to people other than
me?◦ If the answer to this one is “no”, that’s something
you should probably fix
Questions to ask about data
In order of amount of documentation you’ll need:◦ Future You (reference use only)◦ Colleagues within your discipline, in your lab or
elsewhere◦ Colleagues in related disciplines◦ General Public/The World!
The question to ask: is my data described well enough to be usable by my audience?
Who is this data for?
Rights shared with collaborators◦ Decide who’s
responsible for the official copy of data
Information Security Access Provisions
◦ NIH: Public Access policy
◦ NSF: Directorate access policy
◦ Others? (OMB A-110)
Obligations to Others
Often attached to funding.
Your data management plan (DMP) should contain 5 key components:◦ Expected Data◦ Standards for format and content◦ Policies for Access and sharing◦ Policies for Reuse and distribution◦ Plans for archiving data and preserving access
Note: These are minimum requirements.◦ Specific agencies or directorates may ask for
more– check their application sites!
Write away!
In short: What kind of data will be produced by your research processes?
Keep in mind:◦ File formats of complete data sets◦ Any software or code that will be
needed/produced◦ Physical samples or other individual data points
Some divisions require retention of physical samples; consult your Program Officer
1) Expected Data
In short: how will you organize your data within datasets to make it widely accessible, and how will you make data sets identifiable?
Keep in mind:◦ Any data formatting standards for your particular
discipline◦ Any metadata (author, date, subject, etc.) that
your program attaches automatically, and what you will need to attach manually
◦ How will you find your data for later consultation? How will others find it?
2) Data Standards and Metadata
In short: How will you allow other researchers to find and use your data?
Keep in mind:◦ How will other
researchers find your data?
◦ How will you provide access to your data?
◦ How will you prepare your data for sharing?
3) Policies for Access/Sharing
In short: How will researchers obtain permission to use your data?
Keep in mind:◦ Will you grant blanket
permission or case-by-case?
◦ What responsibilities will users of your data have re: privacy, intellectual property, etc.?
◦ What if a provision is violated?
4) Policies for Re-Use
In short: How will you make sure your data stays available?
Keep in Mind:◦ What are your retention
requirements? Is this a permanent data set?
◦ What storage media will you use? Are you prepared to migrate as needed?
◦ Do you have a data backup plan?
5) Archiving your Data
Above: Not A Good Way to archive your data.
You also need to keep track of supplementary research records:◦ Documentation on funding/expenditures◦ Copies of IRB/Animal Care research protocols◦ Hazardous Materials documentation◦ Invention Disclosure/Tech Transfer documentation◦ Conflict of Interest reports
Every institution has a different retention requirement– ask your records officer!◦ For UWM: almost all of this is “End of Grant + 3
years”
“So I’m all set, right?” Well…
Document Everything!◦ Information about the data and your methods◦ Information about where/how you’re keeping the
data (short-term and long-term)◦ What is needed to access the data◦ What security/privacy policies apply◦ Any collaborators outside the institution and their
rights◦ Any supplementary files or forms needed to
• Consistent documentation– Record all necessary information– Keep information in one place– Easier to search and use later
• Take 5 minutes before starting a project• Create a list of information to record– Don’t forget to record the units!
Example
• For my experiment, I need to collect:– Date– Experiment– Scan number– Powers– Wavelengths– Concentration (or sample weight)– Calibration factors, like timing and beam size