Re-using PhD Data: Addressing Research Challenges
This presentation explores the challenges faced in re-using PhD research data, emphasizing the need for institutional policies, support, and training to facilitate data preservation and accessibility. It discusses issues such as data loss, changing thesis formats, and the lack of guidance, proposing solutions like developing policies, training supervisors, and implementing new tools for better data management.
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Presentation Transcript
FACILITATING RE-USE OF PHD RESEARCH DATA Jill Evans, Gareth Cole and Hannah Lloyd-Jones University of Exeter, UK Open Repositories 2013, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada 8-12 July 2013
CONTENT OF TALK Identifying a need. Understanding the postgraduate environment. Defining requirements. Policy development. Support for new policy. Unresolved/untested issues. Still a work in progress...
IDENTIFYING A NEED Data Asset Framework (DAF) online survey. Interviews with researchers. Working closely with postgraduate students (Follow the Data). A genuine need, not something we dreamed up...
DRIVERS Loss of PhD data when student leaves the University. Impact on research group (particularly in STEM/M). Format of doctoral theses is changing: more large multimedia files (Digital Hums). Unable to locate data at a later date if another student/researcher wishes to build on it (duplication costs and time). Inability to validate findings if challenged. Raising academic profile of PhDs/Early Career Researchers (ECRs). New research funder policy.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH PHD RESEARCH AT EXETER All students must upload an electronic copy of their thesis to our repository (ORE). No institutional guidelines on retention of data may be down to research group. May be left in an office on a PC or mobile device to die no record kept. Little awareness of funder policy. Policy regarding lab books particularly unclear.
FINDINGS STATEMENT OF NEEDS An institutional policy specifically for PGRs was needed. More support and training in good RDM was needed for PGRs. PGRs got little guidance from supervisors so a need for training for supervisors. RDM built into the supervision process. New workflows and training for the Postgraduate Admin team who handle thesis procedures. New tools to allow easy upload and management of big data (on back of JISC project).
POLICY DEVELOPMENT Led by a Task & Finish group (cross-departmental). Aligned with Exeter culture shift to open environment. Developed alongside Open Access policy. Wider consultation with stakeholders: e.g., staff unions, student unions. Discussions with our team of PGRs. Academic Policy & Standards. Quality Review & Enhancement. Legal Services. Approved by Quality Strategy Group and Graduate Faculty Board. About 8 months from start of development to approval.
POLICY CONTENT: PGR OBLIGATIONS Supports and promotes openness. PGRs must be aware of and comply with funder policy. Research data must be actively managed throughout thesis development. Responsibility for RDM lies with the student and lead supervisor. PGR and supervisor assess and select data for deposit to ORE (or similar trusted repository) alongside thesis. If unsuitable for Open Access add a metadata only record supervisor keeps copy safely. Opt outs for valid reasons with optional embargo: Commercial, ethical, legal.
RDM & THE THESIS LIFECYCLE Research Data Management throughout the PhD RDM induction talk RDP RDM courses College and discipline specific training Training Data sign-off with supervisor Annual data review with supervisor x 3 Supervisor Role Data submitted to repository Possible data embargo Data creation and preparation Data Duration of PhD
POLICY: INSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATIONS Training for PGRs, supervisors and support staff: Researcher Development Programme Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice Inductions for new intake. Doctoral Supervision course One-off on demand (where feasible). Web site Online training materials Case studies Email address for support and queries. Secure long-term storage and preservation of data. Support for data upload process. Review and updating of policy.
CHANGES IN WORKFLOWS Separate submission form for theses. Additional metadata fields. Separate licence agreement for PGR theses and data. Additional PG Admin workflow stage. Regular meetings between student and supervisor. Joint selection of data for upload by student and supervisor. Supervisor signs-off data for upload. Upload of data or metadata only record for data unsuitable for Open Access. Approval process (need to ensure good quality metadata for description of data).
DATA UPLOAD Problems uploading data over 800MBs. Many files (e.g., video, images, experimental data) much larger. Development of new upload tool for transfer of big data . Uses Globus for file transfer. About to be released for testing with research groups. See Lee Taylor s presentation 6pm, 11thJuly.
TESTING & IMPLEMENTATION Testing summer 2013 with data-intensive research groups: Astrophysics Marine Renewable Energy Biomedical Informatics Hub Rollout of policy and upload tool in October 2013. Ongoing review of usage, queries, issues, etc. Refinement and enhancement. Full release alongside default DSpace submissions interface for theses-only deposit.
ISSUES TO BE RESOLVED Long-term infrastructure costs: sustainability. Staff resources now JISC project has ended: implications for training and support. Development of Dark Archive for data requiring secure long-term storage. Building costs of RDM, selection and appraisal and upload in project costs. Working with research groups to develop internal policies for PGR data. Establishing a mechanism for contacting students once they have left. Approving data for open access who should do it? Implications of approval by non-specialists. Ensuring high-quality metadata. Preservation of and access to lab books remain an issue.
FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION Contact us: openaccess@exeter.ac.uk ORE Open Exeter Project RDM web site Open Access web site Training UoE Policies Research Data Management survival guide for PGRs. Online materials (CC-BY).
