Data management

Managing Data

Topics

Improving the management of research data is a core ANDS priority. We fund projects to implement infrastructure that makes data management possible, provide training on data management policy and planning, and collect and share expertise on current practices.

For institutions

ANDS Guides

Monash University provides an extensive Toolkit of resources for interviewing researchers about their data collections. The Toolkit is focused on eliciting information about existing data collections, with the aim of creating metadata records for contribution to Research Data Australia. These tools should be useful to other institutions embarking on ANDS-funded projects, particularly those involving library staff engagement with researchers.

For researchers

These ANDS guides provide an introduction to data management for research projects.

ANDS Guide to Data management planning (recommended introduction)
Data management presentation
Metadata (Awareness level)
ANDS and Data Storage (Awareness level)
The Data Curation Continuum
File Formats – Awareness level, Working level

(Full list of guides)

General information about data management

Australian Resources

The Queensland University of Technology provides a data management guide together with local information about storage and archiving.
Griffith University's eResearch Support Services provide a Data Management Support Service . On this page you can find a downloadable version of their Guidelines for Research Data Management.
The University of Melbourne provides a detailed Policy on the Management of Research Data and Records. The purpose of this is to ‘assist departments and individual researchers to fulfill their responsibilities with respect to the storage and retention of data and records associated with, and arising from, their research activities.' Their webpage on Research Data Management for researchers provides many more resources such as a data management plan template and examples of plans.
The University of New South Wales provides a Procedure for Handling Research Material & Data which in turn links to their Research Code of Conduct.
The University of Newcastle provides a Research Data and Materials Management Procedure. Underpinning this Procedure are the University's Responsible Conduct of Research Policy and Research Data and Materials Management Policy.
University of Queensland's Library blog has put together a very good sumary of JISC's Manageing Research Data program report (PDF).

International Resources

The Digital Curation Centre in the UK provides an extensive digital library of resources covering all aspects of data management, curation and preservation. They are aimed at audiences from the novice to the expert.
The University of Edinburgh's Information Services web site has a set of web pages written as guidance for university researchers on research data management, sharing and preservation and defining research data.

NZ Govenment principles for managing data. 'On 8 August 2011, government approved new principles for managing the data and information it holds. They have been developed to ensure high quality management of the information the government holds on the behalf of the public.'
The National Statistical Service has produced material on DATAfitness, which includes information on good data management practice, including understanding and managing metadata, sharing data, and understanding the quality of data.
The UK Data Archive provides advice on data management and sharing. ‘This suite of web pages aims to provide data creators, data managers and data curators with best practice strategies and methods for creating, preparing and storing shareable datasets.' They also have a stand-alone publication Managing and Sharing Data available for download.
Review of Data Management Lifecycle Models Research Report by Alex Ball, 2012 - University of Bath

Discipline Specific

Guide to Social Science Data Preparation and Archiving, (4th ed, 2009) from the International Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is a comprehensive guide to best practice in the management of data in the social sciences.
The Environmental Sciences Division of the US Oak Ridge National Laboratory provides the discipline-focused Best Practices for Preparing Environmental Data Sets to Share and Archive.

Department of Mechanical Engineering data management plan requirement specifications from the University of Bath
UK Economic and Social Data Service

Data management planning

Australian Resources

The Information Literacy Program of the Australian National University offers training to researchers and post-graduate students on data management planning. The training is based on the very comprehensive ANU Data Management Manual.
Monash University provides an overview of data management planning and checklists for both researchers and higher degree by research students.

International Resources

MIT Libraries Data Management and Publishing includes a data planning checklist, links to other guides and other resources.
DMP Online, the DCC Data Management tool, has been developed 'to enable you to build and edit DMPs with a view to the requirements stipulated by the major UK funders.' The tool itself requires registration. However, the DMP template and the DMP Checklist are both available without registration.
Data Management Plans Online - a video from the Spring 2011 CNI membership meeting.

Data Management Training

DMTpsych - Postgraduate training for research data management in the psychological sciences from the Department of Psychology at the University of York.
Managing research data in Archeology - from the Archeology Data Service in the UK.
Data Management for Social Anthropology - from the University of Cambridge

Feedback

We are keen to get feedback on this page. If you have any comments, constructive criticism, suggestions for improvements or additions, please write to guides@ands.org.au.