Friday, December 9, 2016

New tools available to share, discover and manage research data

New tools available to share, discover and manage research data

Libraries and Cultural Resources launches Dataverse and Data Management Plan Assistant for use by campus scholars

Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR) has launched a data repository for use by campus scholars to support new recommendations on managing digital research data. The recommendations come from the Tri-Agencies that award grants for federally funded research: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Data repositories are designed to publicly promote and share research datasets, providing an easily citable and searchable home for datasets.

The University of Calgary now offers Dataverse, a data repository hosted through Scholars Portal, a service of the Ontario Council of University Libraries. Dataverse enables scholars to easily deposit data, create data-specific metadata for searchability and publish their datasets. Multiple data files can be uploaded up to a size of 2GB each. A Dataverse user guide is available and includes instructions on creating an account using a UCalgary email address. If your data files are larger than 2G, consult with John Brosz.

In Dataverse, scholars can to assign Creative Commons licences or create their own data use agreements as well as impose access restrictions. Each published dataset is assigned a permanent Digital Object Identifier (DOI) so it can be easily cited and usage metrics are tracked. Dataset information is indexed for easy accessibility through Google and other search providers

Managing research data

Dataverse provides a free, locally managed means to share research data, a best practice described in the June 2016 Tri-Agency Statement of Principles on Digital Data Management. From the statement, “The agencies believe that research data collected with the use of public funds belong, to the fullest extent possible, in the public domain and … preserved in publicly accessible, secure, and curated repository or other platform for discovery and (available for) reuse by others.” The agencies acknowledge that ethical, legal, or commercial restrictions may preclude data sharing.

Also emphasized is the importance of data management planning. Therefore, LCR is also introducing the Data Management Plan (DMP) Assistant, created specifically for Canadian scholars by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL). This web tool guides scholars through a series of questions from which it produces a data management plan document suitable for including in grant documentation.

“We are proud to introduce Dataverse and DMP Assistant to advance scholarship on our campus and increase access to the work of University of Calgary researchers,” says Tom Hickerson, vice-provost for LCR and co-chair of the university’s Research Data Stewardship Committee. “Research is a public investment and open access repositories are key to providing public access to the results of that research.”

Support for scholars

John Brosz, co-ordinator of research data and visualization, is LCR’s expert in data management planning and data sharing. Contact Brosz for support in using either tool or  to discuss best practices of research data management. More information about research data management, DMP Assistant and Dataverse can be found in the LCR’s Research Data Management Guide.


Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co                                                                    


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