Research support-challenges
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This document provides guidance on developing research data management services at universities. It discusses 10 key steps: 1) Understanding current practices, 2) Deciding what services are needed, 3) Balancing the needs of stakeholders, 4) Securing input and buy-in, 5) Defining roles and responsibilities, 6) Positioning support appropriately, 7) Balancing internal and external provision, 8) Being agile and adaptable to change, 9) Linking systems to integrate services, and 10) Planning for long-term sustainability. The overall message is that developing effective RDM requires understanding user needs, engaging stakeholders, and continually adapting services.
Research support-challenges
- 1. Challenges for research support Dutch research support event, 22-23 September 2016, Rotterdam Sarah Jones Digital Curation Centre sarah.jones@glasgow.ac.uk Twitter: @sjDCC
- 2. What is the Digital Curation Centre? “a centre of expertise in digital information curation with a focus on building capacity, capability and skills for research data management across the UK's higher education research community” www.dcc.ac.uk
- 3. Why are research data important to unis? “If an institution spent A$10 million on data, what would be the return? The answer is: more publications; an increased citation count; more grants; greater profile; and more collaboration.” Dr Ross Wilkinson, ANDS www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue72/oar-2013-rpt
- 5. #1 – understanding the current position Image CC-BY-NC-SA by Leo Reynolds www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/13442910354
- 6. How are researchers managing and sharing their data? Who is providing support? What gaps are there in services? What tools are being used to share data and collaborate? What are the pressure points? What is expected? What intelligence does the university hold in its business systems?
- 7. Several survey tools Data Curation Profiles http://datacurationprofiles.orgwww.data-audit.eu http://cardio.dcc.ac.uk RDM Capability Maturity Model www.ands.org.au/guides/capability-maturity
- 8. Commonalities in findings E-infrastructures Austria-wide survey across 24 institutions with 3026 respondents https://zenodo.org/record/34005#.V9qNX_krKUk Recent DAF studies in UK across 6 institutions / groups gaining 1,185 responses www.slideshare.net/JiscRDM/daf-survey-results- research-data-network
- 9. Highlights Sharing driven by benefits not policies Informal sharing methods – email, dropbox etc Lack of clarity on data ownership or processes when staff leave https://phaidra.univie.ac.at /detail_object/o:409446
- 11. Informal methods for sharing
- 12. Location of research data
- 13. Low use of university services
- 14. #2 – decide what services you need Image CC-BY-NC ‘Data centre’ by Bob Mical www.flickr.com/photos/small_realm/15995555571
- 15. DCC engagements with institutions • In 2011-13 we worked with 21 HEIs to increase RDM capability - Up to 60 days of effort per HEI drawn from a mix of DCC staff - Deployed DCC & external tools, new approaches & best practice • Support varies based on what each institution wants/needs • Lessons & examples were shared with the community • Follow-on programmes and consultancy work have continued this www.dcc.ac.uk/community/institutional-engagements
- 16. Components of RDM services www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides/how-develop-rdm-services
- 17. Broader research support services • Ideas generation • Bidding for funding • Financial administration • Knowledge exchange and impact • Open access services • Reporting • … Ideas Grants ProjectsReporting Impact
- 18. Annual RDM survey issued by DCC Percentiles 3% 20% 77% Income range percentiles - split into 3 groups across all 161 HEIs • 60 UK Higher Education Institutions responded to DCC survey 2015, of 132 invited • Research-active institutions well represented Research income % of total Briefing and links to data: http://www.dcc.ac.uk/survey2015
- 19. Skills training & consultancy Policy and strategy Business planning Data Mgmt Planning Managing active dataData cataloguing Governing access & reuseData preservation Who has what in place? % indicating ‘rolling out’ or ‘embedding’ * referred to ‘access & storage systems’ in survey 87% 13% 50% 40% 22% 63% 18% 38% *
- 20. Business planning Understanding your institution is key: • What will persuade people to invest? – compliance, research benefit, being innovator • What level of detail is needed? • Who is the right-person to sign off? • Provide options to give panel more choice to approve
- 21. Secure data services 5 Safe Havens in Scotland, one being Grampian (DaSH) Aim to decrease the risk to patient confidentiality whilst increasing the linkage of data from various sources • Safe setting: identifiable data on NHS servers; linked data on separate servers • Safe projects: need clear DMP and all study approvals in place • Safe people: access for approved and trained researchers only; researchers cannot access patient identifiers; sign a declaration on working practices; penalties for misconduct… • Safe outputs: no patient level data can be printed, copied or removed; outputs released after disclosure checks www.slideshare.net/JiscRDM/grampian-safe-haven-research-data-network
- 22. Digital preservation Project to make Archivematica better for RDM and implement proof of concept at York and Hull. Aim to: • Pull metadata from PURE • Automatically initiate ingest by Archivematica • Package up data for long-term preservation • Provide a dissemination copy in repository www.slideshare.net/JiscRDM/implementing- archivematica-research-data-network
- 23. General guidance and support Guide and case studies: www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/developing-rdm-services
- 24. #3 – balance the drivers for each actor Image CC-BY ‘Balance’ by Christopher A Dominic www.flickr.com/photos/kestereverts/14333646903
- 25. Why manage data? • Funders mandate it • Risk losing funding for non-compliance • To make research easier • For research integrity and reproducibility • So you can reuse data or share it with others • Increases citations and impact • …. What will drive one group to act could cause another to disengage
- 26. Data Management Planning lessons • Have seen a more positive response from researchers in other countries where DMPs were encouraged rather than required • DCC suggest unis limit what they ask and focus on key bits of information they can actively use / tie to a benefit (initial tendency for very long templates) • Need to integrate into existing workflows and tools
- 27. Making the case for RDM • Explains the drivers • Identifying benefits and challenges • Potential metrics for research support • Creating the support environment www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/briefing -papers/making-case-rdm
- 28. #4 – secure broad-based input and buy-in Image CC-BY-SA by Dawn Manser www.flickr.com/photos/dawnmanser/3532598208
- 29. Roles of main participants in IEs
- 30. Need many more services involved • IT • Library • Research office • Ethics • Archives • Records management • Lab managers / support staff • Bio-informaticians • Statistics • Computer scientists • Developers • Information analysts • Policy officers • Media services • Publishing advisors • HPC centres • Knowledge managers / knowledge exchange • Business intelligence • IPR officers • Legal affairs • Data services • Preservation experts • …
- 31. Importance of senior advocate(s) • DCC recommended that unis get a Pro-VC for research (or similar) to Chair working group • Useful to have a senior academic in your corner – hold sway with other researchers and influential in university decision-making processes • Individuals regularly move on, so need continual advocacy and lobbying of more than one champion • Some unis setting up networks of RDM champions
- 32. #5- define roles and responsibilities Image CC-BY-SA by nosha www.flickr.com/photos/nosha/2466860959
- 33. A range of RDM job titles Research Data Management Co-ordinator Research Archive Manager Data and Services Developer Research Support Librarian Data librarian Technical Data Officer Research Librarian and Data Specialist Data Scientist Research Data Service Manager Project Manager – Research Data Management Research Information Analyst and Open Access Officer Research Data Manager Scholarly Communications Manager Research Data Storage Architect Senior Research Data Software Engineer Digital Record’s Officer
- 34. Data librarian – example 1 This post will be primarily dedicated to a project that aims to aggregate and open up, through both a graphical user interface and through open linked data. You will need to be familiar with Windows and Unix file systems, at least at the level of file copying/moving/renaming on a large scale, and with the running of simple shell scripts and Windows batch files. You should also be familiar with databases and with XML, as well as possessing a working knowledge of existing library catalogue resources, bibliographic metadata and metadata standards. You will have good qualifications and/or experience working with metadata on a large scale and in an IT-related environment.
- 35. Data Librarian – example 2 In this post you will manage and develop the Library’s extensive collection of datasets, provide advice and training for their use to researchers, staff and students and ensure compliance with access requirements. You will work closely with the Research Support Services Manager and colleagues on initiatives to develop and implement a strategy to collect, store and curate primary data produced by researchers and build services to assist researchers with data management. You will be educated to at least degree level or equivalent with experience of supporting research or managing subscribed resources. You should be an excellent communicator with strong organisational skills as well as a proven ability to relate to a wide range of users and academic colleagues. You will be able to initiate service developments as well as having the ability to work as part of a team. We are particularly interested in applications from candidates with experience of working with research data or that have a demonstrated interest in developing expertise in data curation and management.
- 36. Data librarian – example 3 We are looking to recruit a highly motivated individual to join a team to help establish and promote a pilot research data management service. A significant proportion of the work will involve advocacy and raising awareness and understanding of research data management issues amongst research and support staff across the University. Essential requirements for the role include: A sound understanding of the requirements for data management throughout the research lifecycle, including scholarly communication and digital curation in a university or research environment Ability to explain complex information clearly to a wide variety of recipients Knowledge of current technologies and standards such as institutional repositories and metadata Experience of digital library applications in an HE environment Ability to plan, develop and deliver services in a large scale organisation Experience of managing projects and resources The post requires a postgraduate qualification in Information and Library Management or equivalent and significant professional experience in an academic environment.
- 37. Building on existing roles On-job training for existing liaison librarians and local IT staff • DIY training kit for librarians • http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/libtraining.html • 23 research data things • https://rd-alliance.org/group/libraries-research-data- ig/outcomes/23-things-libraries-research-data-supporting- output • FOSTER open science training • www.fosteropenscience.eu
- 38. #6 – positioning support appropriately Image ‘Pioneer signpost’ CC-BY-NC-ND by Spencer Goad www.flickr.com/photos/spgoad/12998899453
- 39. One stop shop Collate details about support from various divisions Make it easy to pull out the salient points - FAQ format - Visual representations - Case studies Provide contact details Raise awareness www.gla.ac.uk/services/datamanagement
- 40. Accessibility of difficult concepts www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_195589_en.pdf
- 41. Flyers, awareness raising • Research Data Management • Research Data Service • Creating a data management plan • Finding and analysing data • Storing data • Synchronising data • Versioning software • Recording datasets using PURE • Sharing open data • Archiving data • Training http://edin.ac/1Y5k8xf
- 42. But… different people want different things “Please, individualise the support. Workshops are useless, emails with information are useless, brochures are useless, posters are useless.” www.slideshare.net/JiscRDM/daf-survey-results-research-data-network
- 43. Localised support Issues: - Scalability - Coordination - Forum to share expertise and train Critical importance of having people with subject expertise “It would be helpful to clarify the rules for storing anonymised data on cloud services. My departmental rules say this is never OK, however this seems to contradict University rules”
- 44. #7 – balance internal and external provision Image ‘Internal’ CC-BY by Ben Salter www.flickr.com/photos/ben_salter/673078279
- 45. DIY or outsource services? Conceive Create AnalyseShare Preserve
- 46. Considerations to make • Prevailing institutional culture • Ability to manage contractors and set KPIs • Brokered deals or procurement support • Access to developer / technical expertise • Choice that keeps options open e.g. OS + delivery options • Possibility for regional collaborations
- 47. Loughborough example • University already had a publications repository (DSpace) and publications system (Symplectic Elements) • Arkivum could provide the data storage and preservation required, whilst figshare addressed the light-touch deposit process and discoverability of the research data • Collaboration with Arkivum and figshare to develop a repository to support Research Data Management https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspace- jspui/bitstream/2134/19443/1/RDMarticle.pdf
- 49. Mitigating risks www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/IMT/guides/softwareGuides /other/usingDropboxCloudStorageServices.aspx Pragmatic guidance to explain the risks of using third-party services, what not to do, and what terms are being agreed to
- 50. #8 - be agile Image from www.positively-bobdylan.com/bob-dylan-news/the-times-they-are-a-changin-rocks-broadway
- 51. Don’t stand still or think the job is done • Repeat requirements gathering and gap analysis • Regular contact with user community • Continual advocacy, awareness raising, training… • Monitor trends / changes in landscape – More open data policies – Transition to FAIR data
- 52. Be open to new ideas • NIH plans to build a Commons to bring data and software layer together in common environment • Singular, virtual environment so data aren’t downloaded and worked on elsewhere then left on researchers own hard drive to rot • Issue credits to work in commons-compliant environment. Better than just funding kit at local unis and losing data. www.slideshare.net/pebourne/making-biomedical-research-more-like-airbnb
- 53. #9 – link up systems Image ‘Kogod Courtyard’ by Tim Evanson CC-BY-SA www.flickr.com/photos/timevanson/8348282333
- 54. A single platform for all things DMP Agreed to converge on a single codebase, based on DMPonline with additional features from DMPTool Bring together features and strengths of each tool Co-manage, co-develop and issue joint roadmap DMP Roadmap: https://github.com/DMPRoadmap
- 55. Potential integrations • API so plans can be created and statistics extracted • Using ORCIDs to push PI & award details into tool • Notifications about data creation to improve discovery • Publishing DMPs with data • Alerting repositories to planned deposit & vice versa • ….. https://indico.cern.ch/event/520120/contributions/2177900/attachments/1299358/ 1938982/DMPs_-_actionable_and_public.pdf
- 56. #10 – plan for sustainability Image ‘Wind Farm UK’ by Richard:Fraser CC-BY-NC-ND www.flickr.com/photos/rfraser/7544912468
- 57. Plan for the long-term Think beyond short-term funding to consider how to build these services into core provision Measure impact, not just usage stats. Focus on a relationship with services and what you help users to accomplish • Know your user community • Continually engage to ensure you meet needs • Be agile to keep addressing current problems
- 58. So what’s stopping you? Get started! Image ‘Go !!’ CC-BY-NC-ND by Cédric Fettouche www.flickr.com/photos/cedmars/5405223203
Editor's Notes
- #4: Data as institutional crown jewels, special collections, the new oil...
- #19: These figures come from HESA – the higher education statistics authority. Our own survey of UK institutions indicates that there is a huge range in size and research intensity across the board, so when you’re having a discussion about services it’s useful to bear in mind that what is sensible or appropriate in one context might not be in another. Example – automated systems for tracking research outputs.
- #30: Importance of senior champion Overcoming in-fighting to ensure collaborative, team effort
- #40: Researchers don’t need to understand internal politics and divisions to know who’s responsible for what. They just need to be able to find the support they need.