Keeping research data safe

Abstract

Most researchers will create or acquire numerous sets of data during their career, but the sad reality is that many of these data sets are not managed systematically. This was not such an issue when data sets were relatively small and largely paper-based, but we have now entered a world where data sets can be enormous and are often born digital. Often little thought is put into whether these data need to preserved at all, let alone how. If you have ever tried to open an old digital file, you will know the problems that can arise! And yet this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to research data management. In this seminar I discuss the issues of effectively managing research data, using real examples from around the University, and report on preliminary results from a research project in this area.