Principles of Data Curation

Further help

In summary

Any questions?

Contact

• Workshops

• This workshop is a pointer, not a final destination

• One-to-one advice

arobinson@ucreative.ac.uk

01252 892723

@AmyatVADS

• Data curation ("managing your stuff") has a number of stages

• "Virtual goody bag" (today's presentations/handouts)

• We have shared our top tips

• Video case studies

image courtesy of David Shrigley

http://www.vads4r.vads.ac.uk

• Bibliography

What are your top tips?

1. In groups, share your top tips for managing your research data.

1. Plan

5. Share

Principles of Data Curation

Amy Robinson

Stages of data curation

Jargon Busting

Learning Outcomes

Stages of data curation

• Research data

Session Outline

Providing an authoritative definition is challenging

• Recognise the basic principles of data curation and preservation

"stuff"

• Outline the essentials of good data management practice

It may be useful to consider "the research data of today as the special collections of tomorrow"

• Data curation

• Jargon busting

• Identify the reasons for good data management

"the active and ongoing management of data"

Arts Data Workflow:

http://www.projectcairo.org/module/unit1-5.html

"managing your stuff"

DCC Curation Lifecycle Model:

http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/curation-lifecycle-model

Research Data Lifecycle:

http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/manage-data/lifecycle.aspx

References: Kaptur project; Digital Curation Centre.

• Stages of data curation

• Top tips

• Real-life examples

• Further help

2. Write each one on a post-it note.

Data management planning

Sharing your data

• Considering the who? what? where? when? how? and why?

• Start of a research project

• Support a funding bid

http://www.zandrarhodes.ucreative.ac.uk

http://www.vads.ac.uk

• A researcher's own website

• A project website

• Institutional repository

• Inter/national collection

• Informal channels such as social networks

Top tips:

• Resources from the Digital Curation Centre - their DMP Tool, and checklist for a data management plan.

• VADS4R toolkits: http://www.vads4r.vads.ac.uk

http://uca.onlineculture.co.uk/zandra_rhodes

vimeo.com/album/2232988

Image courtesy of Digital Preservation Business Case Toolkit http://wiki.dpconline.org

Sharing research data?

Impact of your research - wider reach

Rights issues

Confidentiality of sources

IT technical challenges

Work gets cited more?

Transparency

Worries about plagiarism

Timing - how much and when?

Advantages

Challenges

1. What are the advantages of sharing your research data?

2. What challenges are preventing you from sharing your research data?

Peer observation/comment

Exposure to unexpected feedback sources

Scale of task

Is there the interest in my data? (early career researcher)

Finding the best methods for sharing

Validates/avoids errors

Networking, future collaborations

Stages of data curation

4. Preserve

2. Create

Preservation

Creating and collecting data

Tips for long-term preservation:

http://bit.ly/1cu5f44

[Play from 5:17]

• Data storage:

regular back-up to institutional server

• Data export:

ease of export from database to another system

• Data formats:

non-proprietary, uncompressed, wide adoption.

Managing legal and ethical requirements:

• Copyright, Intellectural Property Rights (IPR) and Patents
• Data Protection
• Equality
• Freedom of Information
• Health and Safety
• Public Records
• Research Governance
• Sensitive Data

Examples of preferred choices:

• TIFF preferred to JPEG
• CSV preferred to Excel
• MPEG-4 preferred to Quicktime

Video: Tips from Dr Barry Smith, former professor of performance at Nottingham Trent University and creator of the Live Art Archive:

http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/datamanagement/training/videos

Image: courtesy of Simon Hodson:

http://www.slideshare.net/kaptur_mrd/simon-hodson-17004991

Video: Artlaw: http://www.artquest.org.uk/artlaw.htm

Top tips:

• Resources from the IPR Support Project, such as their template permission forms:

http://www.web2rights.com/OERIPRSupport

• Watch out for copyright myths

• Advice from the UK Data Archive on ethics and managing personal data: http://data-archive.ac.uk

3. Organise

Organising your data

Tips for organising your data:

• Folder and filenaming conventions:

easier to work with and improves access

• Documentation:

for example, using journals or a blog to document the research process

• Metadata ("data about data"):

such as tagging, standardised pick lists and metadata schemas