Developing Research Data Management Policy and Services

Robin Rice, Data Librarian

DCC RoadshowDundee: 5 December, 2012

Overview

• UoE Data Library service• Research data management: scope• Developing an institutional Research Data

Management Policy• Researcher vs institutional responsibilities• Supporting and training researchers• Roadmap for strategic aims

Data Library ‘traditional’ service

RDM: scope

• An umbrella term to describe all aspects of planning, organising, documenting, storing sharing, and preserving data.

• It also takes into account issues such as data protection and confidentiality.

• It provides a framework that supports researchers and their data throughout the course of their research and beyond.

University of Edinburgh Research Data Mgmt Policy

• Passed by Senate in May, 2011• Developed by an Information Services

committee set up by Vice Principal• Involved academic champions• Written by ex-DCC consultant• Deemed ‘aspirational’• Complementary to

funders’ policies

Edinburgh policy content: worldle

Roles & Responsibilities

• Who will support your researchers’ planning?

• Who has responsibility during the research project? Who has archival responsibility?

• Who has rights in the data?• Are students considered?

Tips for policy development

Know the drivers for your own institution. Practice the art of persuasion. How big is your kirk? Seek alliances. Who is your high-level champion? Agree a style – mandate or enabling? Postcard from the future: what will it

achieve?

Supporting and training researchers at UoE

• Online guidance for academic staff• Embedding RDM training into

postgraduate programmes (MANTRA)• Tailored support for Data Mgmt Plans

(customising DMP Online tool)• Training librarians & IT staff• Awareness-raising across

schools and departments

RDM guidance for academics

MANTRA online training course

Customising DCC’s DMP Online

Training Liaison Librarians

• DIY training facilitated by data librarians: Topics:

• Data management planning• Documenting & organising data• Data storage & security• Ethics & copyright • Data sharing

Why do we needawareness raising?

• A common question: “Why has nobody told me about this before?”

• A common statement: “We need help with keeping up to date with the new tools/services that are continually appearing … I generally only hear about these by chance...”

UoE RDM Roadmap

• The RDM roadmap sets out a high level plan for its delivery, noting objectives, outcomes, deliverables and target dates for the 18-month period July 2012-January 2014, across four strategic areas.

• Helps define the work• Provides an overview to

interested parties• Governance structure

Roadmap outline

Active Data Infrastructure

• Facilities to store data that are actively used in current research activities, to provide access to that storage, and tools to assist in working with the data

• Issues– Multi-platform, globally accessible– “dropbox-like” functionality?– Resilience and replication

Data stewardship: archiving and preservation services

• Should the institution be doing this?– EPSRC says so“Research organisations will ensure that EPSRC-funded research data is securely preserved for a minimum of 10-years from the date that any researcher ‘privileged access’ period expires or, if others have accessed the data, from last date on which access to the data was requested by a third party.”

• How to do digital preservation: “Know what you’ve got and keep the bits safe.”

• – Tim Gollins, TNA

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Edinburgh DataShare

• Built in 2007-09 with JISC funding as a pilot institutional data repository

• Based on DSpace, own metadata profile (Similar to DataCite)

• Voluntary deposits trickling in• Being put forth as robust University-wide

service (SLD, policies)

Links

• University of Edinburgh policy– http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/research-data-policy

• UoE Roadmap: – http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/information-services/

about/strategy-planning/rdm-roadmap

• MANTRA online training– http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/

• UoE Data Library – http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/data-library

• Edinburgh DataShare– http://datashare.is.ed.ac.uk/