Research Data Management

Research Data Management (RDM) refers to the collection, documentation, storage, sharing and preservation of research data from the beginning to the end of a research project and beyond. RDM can be applied to all disciplines and all types of data, adhering to relevant legal and ethical issues. The screen capture below, from Portage’s Primer on Research Data Management, shows the Research Data Lifecycle:

Current technologies allow us to generate and store unfathomable amounts of data. Yet, to have any real impact and tangible value, research data needs to be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable):

FAIR data principles by SangyaPundir is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

A sound Research Data Management Plan ensures that:

• Your data is stored securely and in an organized manner.
• You can find your data.
• You keep track of different versions of your data.
• You can analyze your data.
• You get acknowledged for your work.
• You can share your work with the scholastic community.
• Others can benefit from knowledge generated from your data.

The  Tri-Agencies include: 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). As publicly funded organizations, the agencies are strong advocates for making the results of the research they fund as accessible as possible. This includes having the results accessible in a timely fashion and, by complying to established digital data management principles, having the results readily accessible. According to the Tri-Agency statement, "when properly managed and responsibly shared, these digital resources enable researchers to ask new questions, pursue novel research programs, test alternative hypotheses, deploy innovative methodologies and collaborate across geographic and disciplinary boundaries." Please see the complete statement below:

Source:  Hanson, K., Surkis, A., & Yacobucci, K. (2012, December 12). Data sharing and management snafu in 3 short acts [Video file].  NYU Health Sciences Libraries.  Retrieved from:  https://youtu.be/N2zK3sAtr-4

 This short, fun video is a good introduction to the importance of managing data.

UFV has an institutional RDM strategy. Assistance at UFV is available from the Research Office and the Library. Please contact:

• Ash Lalani, Director, Research Services & Industry Engagement: ash.lalani@ufv.ca (604) 557-4044
• Shawna Kristin, Reference Team Lead and Data Services Librarian: shawna.kristin@ufv.ca (604) 504-7441 x4410