Data Management for Research

1. Data Management for Research Aaron Collie, MSU Libraries Lisa Schmidt, University Archives

2. Introductions • Please tell us your name and department • A brief description of your primary research area • What do you consider to be your research data? • Optional: • Experience managing research data? • Experience writing a data management plan? cc http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/

4. Why are we here?

5. But why are we really here? • An Impetus: NSF recently released a mandate that all grant applications submitted after January 18th, 2011 must include a supplemental “Data Management Plan” • An Effect: This mandate from NSF has had a domino effect, and many funders that now require or state guidelines for data management of grant funded research • A Challenge: Data management (and oftentimes research methods in general) is an area that has not traditionally received a full treatment in most graduate and doctoral curricula

6. What is meant by “data management”? Fundamental Practices • File Organization • Data Documentation • Reliable Backups Data lifecycle • Digital Sustainability • Scholarly Communication • Data Publishing • Research Impact

7. Effective January 18, 2011 • NSF will not evaluate any proposal missing a DMP • May be up to two pages long • PI may state that project will not generate data or samples • DMP is reviewed as part of intellectual merit or broader impacts of application, or both • Costs to implement DMP may be included in proposal’s budget

8. NSF’s Data Management Guidelines • Policies for re-use, re-distribution, and creation of derivatives • Plans for archiving data, samples, and other research outcomes, maintaining access • Types of data, samples, physical collections, software generated • Standards for data and metadata format and content • Access and sharing policies, with stipulations for privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements

9. “requires that data…be submitted to and archived by designated national data centers.” Other Federal Policies “expects the timely release and sharing of final research data" NASA “promotes the full and open sharing of all data” “…should describe how the project team will manage and disseminate data generated by the project” "IMLS encourages sharing of research data."

10. Upfront Decisions for Researchers • What is the expected lifespan of the data? • Besides the researcher(s) on the project, who else should be given access to the data? • Does the dataset include any sensitive information? • Who owns or controls the research data? • Should any restrictions be placed on the dataset? • How are the data stored and preserved?

11. Upfront Decisions for Researchers • How might the data be used, reused, and repurposed? • How is the data described and organized? • Who are the expected and potential audiences for the datasets? • What publications or discoveries have resulted from the datasets? • How should the data be made accessible?

12. Data Sharing Impacts Cc http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinchof_10/ • Reinforces open scientific inquiry • Encourages diversity of analysis and opinion • Promotes new research, testing of new or alternative hypotheses and methods of analysis • Supports studies on data collection methods and measurement

13. Data Sharing Impacts (cont.) • Facilitates education of new researchers • Enables exploration of topics not envisioned by initial investigators • Permits creation of new datasets by combining data from multiple sources

15. File Organization Practices: Overview “When I was a freshmen I named my assignments Paper PaperrPaperrrPaperrrr” -Undergrad • Create a file plan for your research project • Design a file naming convention that works for your project • Agree on a version control method to assist with file synchronization • Carefully choose fileformats to maximize usefulness

16. 1. Create a file plan for your research project • File plan as a classification system • Indexed – makes it easier to locate folders/files • Primary subjects – main functions of research project • Secondary subjects – more specific activities of project, including research data • Tertiary subjects – limit by date or equivalent • File Name (naming conventions)

17. 1. Create a file plan for your research project (cont.) Example documentation of Directory Hierarchy: • /[Project]/[Grant Number]/[Event]/[Date] Example documentation of File Naming Convention: • [investigator]_[method]_[descriptor]_[YYYYMMDD]_[version].[ext]

18. 2. Design a file naming convention that works for your project • Why file naming conventions? • Enable better access/retrieval of files • Create logical sequences for file sorting • More easily identify what you’re searching for

19. 2. Design a file naming convention that works for your project (cont.) • Meaningful but short (255 character limit) • Descriptive while still making sense • Capital letters or underscores differentiate between words • Surname first followed by initials of first name • More on handout

20. 2. Design a file naming convention that works for your project (cont.)

21. 3. Agree on a version control method to assist with file synchronization • Version number of record indicated file name with “v” followed by version number • Letter “d” indicates draft

22. 4. Carefully choose file formats to maximize usefulness • Non-proprietary • Open, documented standard • Common usage by research community • Standard representation (ASCII, Unicode) • Unencrypted • Uncompressed

23. Documentation Practices: Overview • At minimum create a README file that you can use to document your project • Utilize standards for describing data including Metadata Standards • If applicable, use in-line code commentary to explain code (cc) Will Scullin

24. 1. At minimum create a README file that you can use to document your project • At minimum, store documentation in readme.txt file or equivalent, with data • Resource: http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/subjects/data-management/metadata.html

25. 2. Utilize standards for describing data including Metadata Standards • “Data about data” • Standardized way of describing data • Explains who, what, where, when of data creation and methods of use • Provides the essential tools for discovery, such as a bibliographic citation

26. 2. Utilize standards for describing data including Metadata Standards Basic project metadata:

27. Documentation Practices: Example Metadata Standards • Dublin Core Easy-to-create-and-maintain descriptive format to facilitate cross-domain resource discovery on the Web • Darwin CoreFacilitates reference and sharing of biological diversity datasets • Data Documentation Initiative (DDI)Methodology for content, presentation, transport, and preservation of metadata about datasets in the social and behavioral sciences

28. Documentation Practices: Example Metadata Standards • Directory Interchange FormatDescriptive format for exchanging information about earth science data • ISO 19115:2003 Describes geographic data such as maps and charts • PBCoreSupports description and exchange of media assets, including both individual clips and full, edited, aired productions

29. Documentation Practices: Example Metadata Standards • Science Data Literacy ProjectMetadata for astronomy, biology, ecology and oceanography • VRACoreData standard for description of works of visual culture as well as images that document them

30. 3. If applicable, use in-line code commentary to explain code

31. Backup Practices: Overview • Avoid single points of failure • Understand the different types of storage • Ensure data redundancy • Aim for geographic distribution of data

32. 1. Avoid single points of failure A single point of failure occurs when it would only take one event to destroy all data on a device (e.g. dropped hard drive) Good practices for avoiding single points of error: • Use managed networked storage whenever possible • Move data off of portable media • Never rely on one copy of data • Do not rely on CD or DVD copies to be readable • Be wary of software lifespans (e.g. Angel)

33. 2. Understand the different types of storage • Flash Drives • Internal Hard Drives • External Hard Drives • Server and Web Storage • Managed Networked Storage • Cloud Storage

34. 3. Ensure data redundancy Backup Do’s: • Make 3 copies • E.g. original + external/local + external/remote • E.g. original + 2 formats on 2 drives in 2 locations • Geographically distribute and secure • Local vs. remote, depending on needed recovery time • Personal computer, external hard drives, departmental, or university servers may be used

35. 3. Ensure data redundancy (cont.) Backup Don’ts: • Do not rely on one copy • Do not use CDs and DVDs • Do not rely on ANGEL (cc) George Ornbo

36. 3. Ensure data redundancy (cont.) Backup Maybe: • Cloud storage • Amazon s3 • Google • MS Azure • DuraCloud • Rackspace • Note that many enterprise cloud storage services include a charge for in/out of data transfers $$$

38. Research is…

39. ?

40. The scientific method “is often misrepresented as a fixed sequence of steps,” rather than being seen for what it truly is, “a highly variable and creative process” (AAAS 2000:18). Gauch, Hugh G. Scientific Method in Practice. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print. (Emphasis added)

42. The Research Depth Chart More Specific More Generic Scientific Method Research Method Research Design Research Tasks

44. The Data Management Depth Chart Research Data Lifecycle Model Source: DDI Structural Reform Group. “Overview of the DDI Version 3.0 Conceptual Model.“ DDI Alliance. 2004. http://opendatafoundation.org/ddi/srg/Papers/DDIModel_v_4.pdf

45. The Data Management Depth Chart Research Data Lifecycle Model ??? ??? Research Data Management Tasks

46. The Data Management Depth Chart Research Data Lifecycle Model Data Management Plan ??? Research Data Management Tasks

47. http://www.lib.msu.edu/about/diginfo/ldmp.jsp

48. Data are brainstormed Study Concept

49. Data are brainstormed

50. Data are collected and secured Study Concept Data Collection