Research Data Management (RDM) has become a professional topic of great importance internationally following changes in scholarship and government policies about the sharing of research data. Exploring Research Data Management provides an accessible introduction and guide to RDM with engaging tasks for the reader to follow and develop their knowledge. Starting by exploring the world of research and the importance and complexity of data in the research process, the book considers how a multi-professional support service can be created then examines the decisions that need to be made in designing different types of research data service from local policy creation, training, through to creating a data repository. Coverage includes: A discussion of the drivers and barriers to RDM Institutional policy and making the case for Research Data Services Practical data management Data literacy and training researchers Ethics and research data services Case studies and practical advice from working in a Research Data Service. This book will be useful reading for librarians and other support professionals who are interested in learning more about RDM and developing Research Data Services in their own institution. It will also be of value to students on librarianship, archives, and information management courses studying topics such as RDM, digital curation, data literacies and open science.

It has become increasingly accepted that important digital data must be retained and shared in order to preserve and promote knowledge, advance research in and across all disciplines of scholarly endeavor, and maximize the return on investment of public funds. To meet this challenge, colleges and universities are adding data services to existing infrastructures by drawing on the expertise of information professionals who are already involved in the acquisition, management and preservation of data in their daily jobs. Data services include planning and implementing good data management practices, thereby increasing researchers' ability to compete for grant funding and ensuring that data collections with continuing value are preserved for reuse. This volume provides a framework to guide information professionals in academic libraries, presses, and data centers through the process of managing research data from the planning stages through the life of a grant project and beyond. It illustrates principles of good practice with use-case examples and illuminates promising data service models through case studies of innovative, successful projects and collaborations.

Based on case studies this book offers an insight in various European activities and practices in data management and their interaction with policies and programs. The latter form the background for the following case studies, provide the conceptual framework, at the same time giving an exhaustive understanding of the specific subjects. The case studies share common themes and give a concrete insight into vital issues such as web archiving, digitization of analog archives, researchers’ motivations for sharing data, and how libraries, archives and researchers can collaborate in creating research tools and services.

Step-by-step guidance to setting up and running effective institutional research data management services to support researchers and networks. The research landscape is changing, with key global research funders now requiring institutions to demonstrate how they will preserve and share research data. However, the practice of structured research data management is very new, and the construction of services remains experimental and in need of models and standards of approach. This groundbreaking guide will lead researchers, institutions and policy makers through the processes needed to set up and run effective institutional research data management services. This ‘how to’ guide provides a step-by-step explanation of the components for an institutional service. Case studies from the newly emerging service infrastructures in the UK, USA and Australia draw out the lessons learnt. Different approaches are highlighted and compared; for example, a researcher-focused strategy from Australia is contrasted with a national, top-down approach, and a national research data management service is discussed as an alternative to institutional services. Key topics covered: • Research data provision • Options and approaches to research data management service provision • A spectrum of roles, responsibilities and competences • A pathway to sustainable research data services: from scoping to sustainability • The range and components of RDM infrastructure and services Case studies: • Johns Hopkins University • University of Southampton • Monash University • The UK Data Service • Jisc Managing Research Data programmes. Readership: This book will be an invaluable guide to those entering a new and untried enterprise. It will be particularly relevant to heads of libraries, information technology managers, research support office staff and research directors planning for these types of services. It will also be of interest to researchers, funders and policy makers as a reference tool for understanding how shifts in policy will have a range of ramifications within institutions. Library and information science students will find it an informative window on an emerging area of practice.

Research Data Management and Data Literacies help researchers familiarize themselves with RDM, and with the services increasingly offered by libraries. This new volume looks at data-intensive science, or 'Science 2.0' as it is sometimes termed in commentary, from a number of perspectives, including the tasks academic libraries need to fulfil, new services that will come online in the near future, data literacy and its relation to other literacies, research support and the need to connect researchers across the academy, and other key issues, such as 'data deluge,' the importance of citations, metadata and data repositories. This book presents a solid resource that contextualizes RDM, including good theory and practice for researchers and professionals who find themselves tasked with managing research data. - Gives guidance on organizing, storing, preserving and sharing research data using Research Data Management (RDM) - Contextualizes RDM within the global shift to data-intensive research - Helps researchers and information professionals understand and optimize data-intensive ways of working - Considers RDM in relation to varying needs of researchers across the sciences and humanities - Presents key issues surrounding RDM, including data literacy, citations, metadata and data repositories

This title defines what is required to achieve a culture of effective data management offering advice on the skills required, legal and contractual obligations, strategies and management plans and the data management infrastructure of specialists and services. Data management has become an essential requirement for information professionals over the last decade, particularly for those supporting the higher education research community, as more and more digital information is created and stored. As budgets shrink and funders of research demand evidence of value for money and demonstrable benefits for society, there is increasing pressure to provide plans for the sustainable management of data. Ensuring that important data remains discoverable, accessible and intelligible and is shared as part of a larger web of knowledge will mean that research has a life beyond its initial purpose and can offer real utility to the wider community. This edited collection, bringing together leading figures in the field from the UK and around the world, provides an introduction to all the key data issues facing the HE and information management communities. Each chapter covers a critical element of data management: • Why manage research data? • The lifecycle of data management • Research data policies: principles, requirements and trends • Sustainable research data • Data management plans and planning • Roles and responsibilities – libraries, librarians and data • Research data management: opportunities and challenges for HEIs • The national data centres • Contrasting national research data strategies: Australia and the USA • Emerging infrastructure and services for research data management and curation in the UK and Europe Readership: This is essential reading for librarians and information professionals working in the higher education sector, the research community, policy makers and university managers. It will also be a useful introduction for students taking courses in information management, archivists and national library services.