Skip to Main Content

Library

Research Data Management (RDM)

The Research Data Lifecycle

  • Plan: Describe best practices to manage your data throughout the data life cycle
    • Outline project and prepare a DMP.
    • Outline nature, scope, and scale of project.
    • Use a data life cycle planning template.
    • Ensure legal/ethical/institutional compliance.
    • Revise throughout the project as necessary.
  • Create: Process of creating/collecting data
    • Create data using transparent and meaningful naming conventions.
    • Create project ID as file prefix.
    • Develop relatable variable names.
    • Create a document outlining details of data.
  • Process: Act of organizing, cleaning, and securely storing your data
    • Describe each variable.
    • Document file naming and version control decisions.
    • Clean dataset.
    • Develop a secure protocol for transferring sensitive data.
    • Anonymize data where necessary.
    • Ensure variable names are clear.
    • Preserve copy of raw data.
    • Clean and validate data.
  • Analyse: The process of detailing decisions made during analysis and the justification for them
    • Keep notes regarding software used and reasons for analysis decisions.
    • Document process.
    • Document known data issues.
    • Document transformations using coding/versioning.
  • Share: The process of sharing findings at the end of the research project
    • Identify suitable vehicles to share findings.
    • Determine how to advise the research community of work/findings.
  • Preserve: The process of ensuring measures are in place for long-term access
    • Identify data with long-term value.
    • Determine what iterations of data development should be preserved.
    • Abide by obligations to funding bodies, and the law
    • Ensure documentation and metadata are complete.
    • Select a well-established reputable repository.
  • Reuse: The process of creating a plan to prepare data for reuse
    • Decide whether all or part of data will be made available.
    • Identify legal, funding, and institutional restrictions or requirements that might influence data reuse.
    • Gather all documentation necessary to reuse the data at a later date.
    • Consider necessary restrictions to reuse.

The Research Data Lifecycle by AC Library is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0  / a derivative of Module #4: Steps Towards Good Research Data Management by Portage Network, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.