Effective Research Data Management Practices at University of Oxford

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An Introduction to Research Data
Management
 
Things To Do With Data – Michaelmas 2014
Slides provided by Research Support Team,
IT Services, University of Oxford
What does data include?
 
“A reinterpretable representation of information in a formalized
manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing.”
Digital Curation Centre
What does data include?
 
Any information you use in your
research
What does research data management
cover?
 
Storage
 
Organizing
 
Preservation
 
Documenting
 
Sharing
 
Choosing
technology
 
Versioning
 
Structuring
 
Backing up
 
Curation
 
Security
Relevant throughout the research process
Carrots and sticks
Enable efficient day-
to-day work
More time for the
meat of the research
process
Avoid problems in the
future
University of Oxford
Policy on the
Management of
Research Data and
Records
Funding body
requirements
University of Oxford policy
 
University of Oxford policy
The full policy can be viewed on the 
Research Data
Oxford
 website
Research data is defined as the information needed ‘to
support or validate a research project’s observations,
findings or outputs’
Research data should be: 
Accurate, complete, identifiable,
retrievable, and securely stored
Able to be made available to others 
Funders’ requirements
Funding bodies are taking an increasing
interest in what happens to research data
You may be required to make data publicly
available at the end of a project
Many funders require a data management plan
as part of grant applications
RDO website provides
a 
summary of requirements
Data management plans
A document created early on in a project
While planning, applying for funding, or setting up
An initial plan may be expanded later
Details plans and expectations for data
Nature of data and its creation or acquisition
Storage and security
Preservation and sharing
Benefits of data management plans
Ask key questions 
before
 problems arise
Have time to look for solutions
Saves time and reduces stress
Many tasks are straightforward if planned from
the beginning, but much harder in retrospect
A framework for ongoing review of data
management practices
DMP Online
Online data
management
planning tool
Can be
customized
according to
funding body
 
https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk/
What storage media are in use?
 
How about file formats?
Storage
Departmental IT support may be able to
provide server space or a shared drive
IT Services’ 
NSMS
 offers server rental and
management, storage on the University’s
private cloud, and other storage solutions
Data security
Is there data that needs special treatment?
Sensitive or confidential information
Commercial potential
InfoSec at IT Services can provide advice –
see 
http://www.it.ox.ac.uk/infosec/
 for more
details
http://blogs.ch.cam.ac.uk/pmr/2011/08/01/why-you-need-a-data-management-plan/
Backing up is
easier than
replacing
lost data…
LOCKSS – Lots Of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe
 
Keep copies in different places
 
Can the process
be automated?
IT Services: data back-up on the HFS
HFS
 is Oxford’s central back-up and archiving
service
Free of charge to University staff and
postgraduates
Automated back-ups of machines connected to
University network
Copies kept in multiple places
Choosing the right tools for the job
Are current software and methods meeting
your needs?
Sticking with old familiars can be false
economy
Ask friends and colleagues for
recommendations
Tools and technologies for managing data
Spreadsheets may be fine for small,
straightforward tasks
More complex projects might benefit from a
relational database
Microsoft Access, FileMaker Pro, etc.
Or a qualitative data analysis package
Nvivo, Atlas.ti, etc.
Or an XML database...
ORDS – Online Research Database
Service
Specifically designed for academic research data
Cloud-hosted and automatically backed up
Web interface makes collaboration straightforward
If desired, databases can easily be made public
Designed to permit easy archiving
Launched in the summer of 2014
http://ords.ox.ac.uk/
Other data management tools and systems
LabTrove
 – an electronic lab notebook system
NeuroHub
 – an information environment for
managing data from lab-based research
DataStage
 – a secure personalized file
management environment
myExperiment 
– record and
share scientific workflows
Taverna 
– for managing
scientific workflows
Research Skills Toolkit
Website and hands-
on workshops
A guide to software,
University services,
and other tools and
resources for
research
 
 
 
http://www.skillstoolkit.ox.ac.uk/
What’s obvious
now might not
be in a few
months, years,
decades…
Adapted from ‘Clay Tablets with Linear B Script’ by Dennis, via Flickr: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/5692813531
/
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Documentation and metadata
Documentation is the contextual information
required to make data intelligible and aid
interpretation
A users’ guide to data
May be given at study level or data level
Metadata is similar, but usually more structured
Conforms to set standards
Machine readable
<title>2014 HBS Survey
Results</title>
<author>Joe Bloggs
</author>
M. Farinelli et al.
(2012) PLoS ONE
7(3): e34047
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Documentation – what needs to be included
www.texample.net
Maintaining consistency
Agree a set of standard working practices as
early as possible in a project
Method of recording what’s been done to
data – and who did it
File naming conventions
Version information
Have these clearly documented, and
store the documentation centrally
Long term solutions
Data repositories or archives offer a secure
long-term home for research data
Data can be embargoed if needed
Databib
 and 
Re3Data.org
 offer searchable
catalogues of repositories
Figshare
 offers a DIY option
ORA-Data (formerly known as DataBank)
 
University of Oxford’s institutional data archive
Will work alongside ORA-Publications to form a
composite University archive
Long term preservation for datasets without
another natural home
Plus records for data
archived elsewhere
Planning ahead
Data sharing needs to be planned from the
beginning of a project
With sensitive data, consent may be needed
Third party data may come with restrictions
If data is destined for a particular archive, they
may have specific requirements
Do they use a specific metadata
schema, for example?
Data licensing
A licence clarifies the conditions for accessing
and making use of a dataset
User knows what’s allowed without asking further
permission
Doesn’t exclude possibility of specific requests to
go beyond the terms of the licence
Licences used for data include 
Creative
Commons
 and 
Open Data Commons
Digital Curation Centre
A national service providing advice and
resources for the whole research data lifecycle
http://www.dcc.ac.uk/
 
UK Data Archive
Largest UK
collection of social
sciences and
humanities data
Advice on best
practice for creating,
preparing, storing
and sharing data
http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/
IT Services: Research Support Team
Can assist with technical aspects of research
projects at all stages of the project lifecycle
Help with DMPs, selecting software or storage,
modelling data, etc.
But the earlier you seek advice, the better
For more information, see:
http://research.it.ox.ac.uk/
Research Data Oxford website
 
Oxford’s central
advisory website
University policy
is available
Questions?
Email
researchdata
@ox.ac.uk
 
 
http://researchdata.ox.ac.uk/
Any questions?
Ask now, or email us on
researchdata@ox.ac.uk
Rights and re-use
This presentation is part of a series of research data management
training resources prepared by the 
Research Support Team
 at IT
Services, University of Oxford.
Parts of this slideshow draw on material produced as part of the
Oxford-based 
DaMaRO Project
, and on resources produced by the
PrePARe Project
With the exception of clip art used with permission from 
Microsoft
,
and commercial logos and trademarks, and images specifically
credited to other sources, the slideshow is made available under a
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike License
Within the terms of this licence, we actively encourage sharing,
adaptation, and re-use of this material
Slide Note

This slideshow was prepared by members of the University of Oxford inter-departmental research data support team. It is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/. Subject to the terms of the license, you are welcome to reuse or adapt this material for your own purposes.

The presentation draws on material originally developed in 2013 by the DaMaRO Project (a JISC-funded joint endeavour between IT Services, the Bodleian Libraries, and Research Services at the University of Oxford).

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Explore the importance of research data management including what data includes, tasks it covers, and its relevance throughout the research process. Learn about University of Oxford's policy on research data management, funders' requirements, and the tools available to support efficient day-to-day work.


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  1. An Introduction to Research Data Management Things To Do With Data Michaelmas 2014 Slides provided by Research Support Team, IT Services, University of Oxford

  2. What does data include? A reinterpretable representation of information in a formalized manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing. Digital Curation Centre Slide adapted from the PrePARe Project

  3. What does data include? Any information you use in your research Slide adapted from the PrePARe Project

  4. What does research data management cover? Organizing Structuring Storage Choosing technology Preservation Sharing Versioning Backing up Curation Documenting Security

  5. Relevant throughout the research process Planning and applying for funding Day-to-day work during the project Setting up and starting work Project conclusion

  6. Carrots and sticks Enable efficient day- to-day work More time for the meat of the research process Avoid problems in the future University of Oxford Policy on the Management of Research Data and Records Funding body requirements

  7. University of Oxford policy Introduced Introduced July July 2012 2012

  8. University of Oxford policy The full policy can be viewed on the Research Data Oxford website Research data is defined as the information needed to support or validate a research project s observations, findings or outputs Research data should be: Accurate, complete, identifiable, retrievable, and securely stored Able to be made available to others

  9. Funders requirements Funding bodies are taking an increasing interest in what happens to research data You may be required to make data publicly available at the end of a project Many funders require a data management plan as part of grant applications RDO website provides a summary of requirements

  10. Planning and applying for funding Day-to-day work during the project Setting up and starting work Project conclusion

  11. Data management plans A document created early on in a project While planning, applying for funding, or setting up An initial plan may be expanded later Details plans and expectations for data Nature of data and its creation or acquisition Storage and security Preservation and sharing

  12. Benefits of data management plans Ask key questions before problems arise Have time to look for solutions Saves time and reduces stress Many tasks are straightforward if planned from the beginning, but much harder in retrospect A framework for ongoing review of data management practices

  13. DMP Online Online data management planning tool Can be customized according to funding body https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk/

  14. Planning and applying for funding Day-to-day work during the project Project conclusion Setting up and starting work

  15. What storage media are in use? How about file formats? Slide adapted from the PrePARe Project

  16. Storage Departmental IT support may be able to provide server space or a shared drive IT Services NSMS offers server rental and management, storage on the University s private cloud, and other storage solutions

  17. Data security Is there data that needs special treatment? Sensitive or confidential information Commercial potential InfoSec at IT Services can provide advice see http://www.it.ox.ac.uk/infosec/ for more details

  18. Backing up is easier than replacing lost data http://blogs.ch.cam.ac.uk/pmr/2011/08/01/why-you-need-a-data-management-plan/ Slide adapted from the PrePARe Project

  19. LOCKSS Lots Of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe Keep copies in different places Can the process be automated? Slide adapted from the PrePARe Project

  20. IT Services: data back-up on the HFS HFS is Oxford s central back-up and archiving service Free of charge to University staff and postgraduates Automated back-ups of machines connected to University network Copies kept in multiple places

  21. Choosing the right tools for the job Are current software and methods meeting your needs? Sticking with old familiars can be false economy Ask friends and colleagues for recommendations

  22. Tools and technologies for managing data Spreadsheets may be fine for small, straightforward tasks More complex projects might benefit from a relational database Microsoft Access, FileMaker Pro, etc. Or a qualitative data analysis package Nvivo, Atlas.ti, etc. Or an XML database...

  23. ORDS Online Research Database Service Specifically designed for academic research data Cloud-hosted and automatically backed up Web interface makes collaboration straightforward If desired, databases can easily be made public Designed to permit easy archiving Launched in the summer of 2014 http://ords.ox.ac.uk/

  24. Other data management tools and systems LabTrove an electronic lab notebook system NeuroHub an information environment for managing data from lab-based research DataStage a secure personalized file management environment myExperiment record and share scientific workflows Taverna for managing scientific workflows

  25. Research Skills Toolkit Website and hands- on workshops A guide to software, University services, and other tools and resources for research http://www.skillstoolkit.ox.ac.uk/

  26. Planning and applying for funding Setting up and starting work Project conclusion

  27. MAKE SURE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT LATER What s obvious now might not be in a few months, years, decades Adapted from Clay Tablets with Linear B Script by Dennis, via Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/5692813531/ Slide adapted from the PrePARe Project

  28. Documentation and metadata Documentation is the contextual information required to make data intelligible and aid interpretation A users guide to data May be given at study level or data level Metadata is similar, but usually more structured Conforms to set standards Machine readable

  29. Documentation what needs to be included Who created the data, when and why Description of the item Methodology and methods Units of measurement Definitions of jargon, acronyms and code References to related data Slide adapted from the PrePARe Project

  30. Maintaining consistency Agree a set of standard working practices as early as possible in a project Method of recording what s been done to data and who did it File naming conventions Version information Have these clearly documented, and store the documentation centrally

  31. Planning and applying for funding Day-to- day work during the project Setting up and starting work Project conclusion

  32. Long term solutions Data repositories or archives offer a secure long-term home for research data Data can be embargoed if needed Databib and Re3Data.org offer searchable catalogues of repositories Figshare offers a DIY option

  33. ORA-Data (formerly known as DataBank) University of Oxford s institutional data archive Will work alongside ORA-Publications to form a composite University archive Long term preservation for datasets without another natural home Plus records for data archived elsewhere

  34. Planning ahead Data sharing needs to be planned from the beginning of a project With sensitive data, consent may be needed Third party data may come with restrictions If data is destined for a particular archive, they may have specific requirements Do they use a specific metadata schema, for example?

  35. Data licensing A licence clarifies the conditions for accessing and making use of a dataset User knows what s allowed without asking further permission Doesn t exclude possibility of specific requests to go beyond the terms of the licence Licences used for data include Creative Commons and Open Data Commons

  36. Further resources

  37. Digital Curation Centre A national service providing advice and resources for the whole research data lifecycle http://www.dcc.ac.uk/

  38. UK Data Archive Largest UK collection of social sciences and humanities data Advice on best practice for creating, preparing, storing and sharing data http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/

  39. IT Services: Research Support Team Can assist with technical aspects of research projects at all stages of the project lifecycle Help with DMPs, selecting software or storage, modelling data, etc. But the earlier you seek advice, the better For more information, see: http://research.it.ox.ac.uk/

  40. Research Data Oxford website Oxford s central advisory website University policy is available Questions? Email researchdata @ox.ac.uk http://researchdata.ox.ac.uk/

  41. Any questions? Ask now, or email us on researchdata@ox.ac.uk

  42. Rights and re-use This presentation is part of a series of research data management training resources prepared by the Research Support Team at IT Services, University of Oxford. Parts of this slideshow draw on material produced as part of the Oxford-based DaMaRO Project, and on resources produced by the PrePARe Project With the exception of clip art used with permission from Microsoft, and commercial logos and trademarks, and images specifically credited to other sources, the slideshow is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike License Within the terms of this licence, we actively encourage sharing, adaptation, and re-use of this material

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