A structured and well thought out method for research data management during the course of a research project make the everyday practical data work easier. Also, it is a built-in way to prepare for the data management work at the conclusion of a project. However, the practicalities and the methods used vary depending on the nature of the project and the data, as well as the preferences of the researchers involved.
Contacts and organisation at Umeå University for research data management.
IT solutions
Having secure, reliable and manageable IT solutions for the collection and storage of research data is important when working on a research project. Researchers are recommended to contact the ITS Research Support in order to find the solution that best suits a research project.
Organising, documenting and describing research data during the ongoing work is important to preserve the underlying basis for research results and publications, and to do so in a way that others can follow. To do this reduces the risk of loosing data, repeating work unnecessarily and using or reusing data incorrectly.
A project with continuous and clear structures, routines and documentation of research data throughout the project will have a significantly easier data management when the project draws to an end.
Regardless of the type of project, there are always benefits of working in a structured and continuous way with data. However, in a collaborative project, it is crucial for all involved parties to understand and be able to use the data during the course of the project.
The data management plan is a tool for organisation and communication within a research project. As such, it is a live document. Since aspects of working with research data can change during a research project, it is a good idea to plan revisions of the data management plan during the ongoing project. This can either take place at regular intervals or as a result of various changes that may occur. For example, possible revisions might need to be made concerning:
Staff
Technical resources
New or other software
Research data
Research methods
Other external factors such as new legislation
Information resources
The Swedish national data service (SND) provide information resources for researchers on research data management:
More information on links and contact information to various resources and on how the national infrastructure for research data management is organised can be found here:
Information security, sensitive data and legal aspects of research data
For resources and information about information security, information classification, legal status of research data, personal data processing, GDPR and legal counselling, we recommend contacting the university legal officers, the archive and IT specialists.