How to Manage Research Data

This presentation will introduce the new handbook containing best practices on how to manage research data to make them suitable for sharing and reuse. The handbook was written in view of the Croatian research infrastructure and social context in general.

The growing need for research collaboration and reproducibility is spurred by an increasingly available infrastructure. The Research Data Alliance (RDA) is a global organization focused on developing social and technical conditions for open data sharing and reuse, and fostering data-based innovation. As part of the RDA Europe 4.0 project, a national RDA node was established at Srce in 2019.

In cooperation with the librarians from the University of Rijeka Library, the University of Split Library, the City and University Library Osijek, and the National and University Library in Zagreb, this node prepared a handbook for researchers on how to handle research data for their efficient sharing and reuse. This handbook provides a comprehensive set of guidelines and recommendations based on research data lifecycle. It also takes a look at key topics in research data management. The first chapter introduces us to the concepts of research data, FAIR principles, and benefits of sharing. The second looks into research data lifecycle. The next three chapters explore typical activities from researcher’s perspective. The key activity in the Before research chapter is the development of a data management plan. The During research chapter provides recommendations and best data managing practices, such as file naming conventions, readme file practices, and reliable data storage during research. The last chapter, After research, covers publishing, sharing, and reusing of research data and provides guidance on topics such as intellectual property rights, licences, citations, and sharing and reusing research data. The most important terms from the handbook are explained in the glossary. Every chapter includes helpful tools to facilitate research data management and ensure good data practices. It is a very helpful resource for researchers, students, and librarians.