Responsible Research Data Management - online seminar for researchers

In a research project, data is of utmost importance. Its nature, quality and quantity have an impact on all stages of a scientific research, from designing the methodology to timing, budgeting, publishing or protecting. Data processing, from collection to analysis, sharing and re-use, can however be tricky as small mistakes can lead to serious effects. Fortunately, there are tools and good habits that young researchers can adopt early on to support the quality of their work. Moreover, other actors from the European scientific landscape, such as funding programmes and agencies, are increasingly aware of these issues of reproducibility and data quality, as re-usable data entails return on investment. Such agencies and institutions are adding data management selection criteria to their calls. Data management is no longer just a tool for research: it is part of the research process and of researcher’s daily activities.

At the end of this session, the trainees are expected to be able to reflect on their data management and develop good habits to improve traceability, sustainability and visibility of their research. They will be able to pick out the tools they specifically need in their research projects. They will also develop valuable skills outside of academia, as data management does not only pertain to research but also to sectors like industry, business, communication or IT.

Supporting materials:

J. Ioannidis, 2005, Contradicted and Initially Stronger Effects in Highly Cited Clinical Research, JAMA. 2005;294(2):218-228. doi:10.1001/jama.294.2.218

Mark Otto Baerlocher et al., 2010, Data integrity, reliability and fraud in medical research, Elsevier European Journal of Internal Medicine 21 (2010) 40–45 doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2009.11.002

Monya Baker, 2016, 1,500 scientists lift the lid on reproducibility, Nature 533, 452–454 doi:10.1038/533452a

Higman, Rosie, Daniel Bangert, and Sarah Jones. 2019, Three Camps, One Destination: The Intersections of Research Data Management, FAIR and Open, Insights 32 (1): 18 doi.org/10.1629/uksg.468

Dewitt Wallace Library Guide Data Module, Macalester College, Minnesota, last consulted 21/02/2022 https://libguides.macalester.edu/data1

TRAINER

Judith Biernaux is a Research Data Officer at the University of Liège (BE).

About the trainer : She supports researchers across all disciplines with open research data management. More specifically, she finds and provides the tools empowering researcher to practice a more open, FAIR and reproducible science. She also provides trainings and on-demand help. She is responsible for the Data Ambassadors Community of the Brussels-Wallonia Federation, a network of 70 researchers across six institutions who actively promote and facilitate good research data management practices.

She got her PhD degree in astrophysics in 2018 and has since then worked in the space industry, before joining the University of Liège in 2020. She was born in Brussels in 1991.

PROGRAM

Each section takes into account room for Q&A as well as for an interactive exercise through tools such as Wooclap or Mural.

1. Intro : data management and reproducibility of research – 45 minutes

Why is research data management worthy of effort? What exactly is at stake when you take data management decisions, for yourself, your institution, and for society? We will discuss the context of a reproducibility crisis and how simple research data management practices can help.

2. The data FAIRness spectrum – 40 minutes

Is open data management only about depositing data online? Can all data be openly shared? Is data openness a token of quality, can I re-use data without any verification? In this section, we will bring more nuance to data sharing by examining the FAIR principles, and their role in the European research landscape.

3. 15 minutes break
4. Good habits in data storage – 40 minutes

There are almost too many options to store data, from clouds to data repositories… and what about the good old portable hard drive? In this section, we will make a distinction between different stages in the lifecycle of research data and we will review selection criteria for data storage solutions.

5. Data Management and ethics – 40 minutes

To finish off the workshop, we will take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Research data management is not only about compliance to rules, regulations, and European grant selection criteria; it is a statement to make as a researcher that contributes to your choices in career development, visibility, and of course, integrity, moving your research and your community towards better research.

PRESENTATION is downloadable from the attachments below!

VIDEO is available below: