Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

The following slides repeat the same pattern of; DICE DMP breakdown summary, general topics within the DMP topic, then UH Template questions. There are some generic examples and UH specific solutions. More details on all of these topics are included in individual section slides, which can be easily used instead of these slides for a longer session on Research Data Management. A simple DMP for students is also available to compliment this training. It can be used for notes regarding the various sections, or the participant’s unique solutions.

Focus: Themes within Introduction and Context Main points:

- Basic information relating to the project; who, where, what, and roles.

- Makes this a stand-alone document. - Require in the UH template, perhaps not

RCUK or other funder templates. Highlight these questions are basic contact info and requirement on policies. The UH template has 19 context questions accounting for 29% of the DMP.

Focus: UH template Introduction and Context Main points:

- A brief description for context - Funding body requirements - Aims of the plan

Highlight that these answers may change before the award, so should be completed post-award before submitting to the Document Management System (DMS).

Focus: DICE breakdown of Data Types etc. Main points:

- What data types will be created - How will it be collected - In what formats will your data be kept

Highlight best to demonstrate to UH and your funder that your data is in a re-useable format, with risks that have been considered and that your work will be compatible with the future

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: ACTIVITY: What is Data? Main points:

- Consider all of the documents, file types, and outputs and decide what is data that can be re-used and should be preserved.

Highlight that development documentation, questionnaires, interviews and their transcripts, images, videos, CAD files, computer code, measurements, newspaper clippings… are all data.

Discuss what the researchers consider to be data:

- What about their test runs?

- What about the code that analyses the data?

- What about the documentation that describes how the procedure works?

- What about the hard copies of questionnaires and newspapers? Highlight that data is not just quantitative, and it’s not just numbers. Anything that has scientific value could be reused and should be looked after and fully explained

Focus: Themes within Data Types etc. Main points:

- Basic description of what will be collected. - Include existing data to justify study - Why do you need new data? - Make sure it’s all described with metadata.

Highlight that new data is not always necessary; if existing data is ignore, your application may be rejected. Data is useless without metadata to describe it.

Focus: UH template for Data Types etc. Main points:

- Additional question for UH are about tools, software, and resources.

- Are you including these expenses in your bid?

Highlight most of this will be included in your funding bid at some point. It may not be in the DMP, but your funder will ask about it.

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: Data Types Main points:

- This is all quantitative data - Qualitative data should also be identified

Highlight most of these data types should be familiar to researchers. Mention also the less common data types specific to your audience.

Focus: Data Types and formats Main points:

- This are all common data but there is a variety of formats for each one

- The use often depicts the format. Highlight that subjects have standard formats that are frequently used and often re-useable. Steer clear of instrument specific formats.

Focus: DICE breakdown of Metadata Main points:

- Data that describes your data. - Include Documents, Headers, Encoding - Many programs allow this to be stored

within the file Highlight that as much as possible should be included to make sense of the data. This is useful during analysis and to others who could reuse these data including your future self.

Focus: UH template for Data Metadata Main points:

- Standard questions to ensure that you will generate metadata and store it with your data.

Highlight most of this will be included in your funding bid at some point.

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: DICE breakdown of Ethics and IPR Main points:

- Your Intellectual Property Rights belong to UH, but your colleagues may not own theirs and a contact may be needed for future deposit and reuse of data

- Do you have consent from participants Highlight that considering reuse and deposit now with allow provisions to be included in consent and contracts.

Focus: Themes within Legal and Ethical Issues Main points:

- Consider copyright, database rights - Consent form participants and colleagues - Licensing - Who deals with disputes and FOIs?

Highlight that these are likely to affect those who include human participants, and those with commercial partners. Refer to IPACS for more help.

Focus: UH template for Legal and Ethical Issues Main points:

- Standard questions to ensure that you have considered the ethics of your data and are prepared to manage them securely and anonymise before depositing these data.

Highlight most of this will be included in your funding bid at some point.

Focus: DICE breakdown of Ethics and IPR Main points:

- Clearly, will your data be safe if it is sensitive?

Highlight that this may require a password protected device or an encrypted volume in a networked drive.

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: ACTIVITY: Is the Data at risk? Main points:

- How can these data be lost, damaged, or stolen?

- What precautions are in place? Highlight that while there are risks, they can be limited.

Discuss what the researchers consider to be data:

- How can the data be lost? Is it on vulnerable devices – flash sticks, CDs, laptops, external HDs?

- Can it be stolen? Is it password protected, encrypted, or limited access only?

- Is it openly accessible on the web? Could you close holes and/or password protect domains?

- Is it backed up? If your HD got the tick of doom, could your work be recovered? Highlight that while data is at risk, there are security systems that can protect your data and a regular back up could save time, money, and people power.

Focus: Themes within Short-term storage Main points:

- Issues that affect your working data. - Where is it stored? - Is it backed up? - Is it secure?

Highlight that these three issues affect all of your data and can be easily automated to protect your data.

Focus: Movement of data Main points:

- There is networked storage for everyone – UH backed up and secure

- Off-site mobile back up should not be kept with your laptop

Highlight that version control will help keep track of which is the most up to date version. A local back-up keeps recovery in your hands.

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: UH Storage Main points:

- There is networked storage for everyone – school and group drives and the DMS.

- These have automatic back-ups, and the DMS has structure and versioning.

Highlight access is to predefined UH members only and that sensitive information can be protected with granular security and encryption.

Focus: Fire Damage Main points:

- Regular off-site backup could save your research – UH automatically backs up to College Lane and de Havilland daily.

Highlight the risk of damage to data. This example is well documented from Southampton University. £50-100 million and no recovery or data. Can you imagine?

Focus: Back Up procedures: Linux Main points:

- crontab is a built in system that runs everyday and will perform tasks when told to.

- rsync will copy data from the source location [src] to the destination [dest] updating only changes made so will save on CPU time.

Highlight this to users who use Linux machines.

Focus: Back Up procedures: Windows and Mac Main points:

- Windows can do automatic backups using a tool in the control panel.

- Time Machine is Mac’s answer to back-ups producing a copy of your entire system on their cloud server. Be aware of their T&Cs on ownership and misuse.

Highlight this to users who use Windows and Mac machines.

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: Security Main points:

- Password protect devices so that if they-re lost, they can’t be read

- Encrypt sensitive data Highlight this as there are plenty of examples where data has been abused when found.

Focus: Encryption Main points:

- Encrypt with Truecrypt - Free, open source, on-the-fly encryption - All operating systems without install - Password protected folders - Sent by email or on mobile/networked

drive. Highlight this free and secures your data. Separate training session and How to Use Truecrypt Guide available.

Focus: UH template for Short-term Storage Main points:

- Standard questions to ensure that you have considered how to keep your data safe, secure, and backed up.

Highlight most of this will be included in your funding bid at some point. Encourage the audience to set up a backup procedure if nothing else!

Focus: DICE breakdown of Data Sharing and Access Main points:

- This refers to sharing with other researchers via a website, a repository, or on request.

- Consider your funder’s requirements. Highlight that the University of Hertfordshire also requires that you make your data open. The UHRA is available if you do not have a subject repository.

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: ACTIVITY: What happens next? Main points:

- What data could and should be published? - Where could they deposit their data where

it will work for them? - Data will be credited as part of good

research practice and it’s in the funder’s policies.

Highlight that while the data is useful to them, what if they weren’t there to make use of it.

Ask participants to consider if they left research;

- what would their legacy be? Could it be built upon?

- Can the tools be made available to confirm their results and methodology?

- Is the unprocessed data useful and available?

- Is the processed data more useful and available?

- How much data could be anonymised and made available?

- Could be help the next generation or be the basis for a larger study? If they’d had other data, could it have improved their research?

Highlight the benefits of sharing data and encourage the participants to make as much useful data available as possible. However, also consider that too much data becomes useless and it must be well described.

Focus: Themes within Data Sharing and Access Main points:

- Who wants your data? - Why you can’t share it? - How and where you will share it - Embargos, patents, and limitation on time.

Highlight that they are expected to deposit and should show how they will make this possible if they can.

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: UH template for Data Sharing and Access Main points:

- Standard questions about whom else may want your data and how they could get it.

- How will they make their data available; will there an embargo or restrictions?

Highlight that if data are sensitive there are provisions for restricted access to these data.

Focus: DICE breakdown: Deposit and Preservation Main points:

- In the long term, how will these data be managed?

- An archive will make data available and keep it backed up and assessable.

Highlight that the UHRA is available if you do not have a subject repository. Retention is recommended at 10 years since last use.

Focus: Themes within Deposit and Preservation Main points:

- How do you select which data will be kept? - Where will these data be deposited? - What supporting information comes with it

– metadata and documentation Highlight that not all data can be kept – it’s expensive and will become a data graveyard. Instead, useful data should be retained, managed, and well described and documented.

Focus: Preserving stages Main points:

- Researchers are familiar with publishing papers in a journal and open archive

- Data should also be prepared for deposit in an archive and the UHRA data catalogue

Highlight that if metadata and documentation is constructed during the collection and analysis steps, then data can easily be deposited as it’s already prepared.

Project Lifecycle in Research Data Management Notes for the trainers

University of Hertfordshire v1.0 CC BY-NC-SA

Focus: RCUK selection criteria Main points:

- At present, there is no consensus as to what should be kept

- Researchers should be prepared to keep useful data and tools

- By 2015, it will be compulsory and if you don’t deposit you will be penalised.

Highlight that UH also has no guidelines as these matters are currently being discussed. Researchers should be prepared.

Focus: UH template for Deposit and Preservation Main points:

- Standard questions about the repository that you’ve chosen and how you will manage sensitive data and retention.

Highlight that if data are sensitive there are provisions for restricted access to these data in the UHRA and in many subject repositories.