Ulster University believes that excellence in research and research integrity is facilitated by the application of good practice in research data management.
What is Research Data?
The Concordat on Open Research Data defines research data as:
Data is evidence
The evidence that underpins the answer to the research questions and can be used to validate findings regardless of its form (e.g. print, digital, or physical). Data might be quantitative information or qualitative statements collected by researchers in the course of their work by experimentation, observation, modelling, interview or other methods, or information derived from existing evidence.
Data may be raw or primary (e.g. direct from measurement or collection) or derived from primary data for subsequent analysis or interpretation (e.g. cleaned up or as an extract from a larger data set) or derived from existing sources where the rights may be held by others. Data may be defined as 'relational' or 'functional' components of research, thus signaling that their identification and value lies in whether and how researchers use them as evidence for claims.
What is Research Data Management (RDM)?
Research data management is a mixture of systems, methods and processes, which are used and conducted in a way that is systematic, consistent and structured, to ensure that research is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.
Why manage data?
Good research data management can lead to:
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Reduced frustration
Managing your research data makes it easier to:
- write up papers and theses using data recorded and documented consistently throughout a project
- continue using data after the researcher responsible has left the university
- choose data for long-term archival and for disposal to save space
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Reduced risk
Managing your research data helps prevent:
- loss of data
- inability to prove research findings
- costly repetition of data collection
- accidental breaches of privacy and ethical legislation
- inability to support commercialisation of research outcomes
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Improved research quality
Being confident in the robustness and completeness of your data now will allow future research to be built on solid foundations.
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Improved reputation
Open access to data and information is a theme expanding in all areas of society. Transparency of publicly-funded research is important at both an individual and institutional level. For the individual academic, well-managed data can be shared with confidence, leading to:
- additional citations of both papers and datasets
- demonstrable impact through commercial use of data
- unanticipated insights from new techniques and combination of datasets
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Funder, publisher and institutional policy compliance
For the above reasons research funders and publishers, as well as Ulster University, all have policies that require data to be managed properly.
Some funders are starting to take previous data management into account when awarding new funding, while others are withholding final grant payments if data hasn't been managed properly.