Delivering Research Data Management Services by Pryor, Graham; Jones, Sarah; Whyte, Angus;

Short description:

This groundbreaking guide will lead researchers, institutions and policy makers through the processes needed to set up and run effective institutional research data management services to support their researchers and networks.

Long description:

Step-by-step guidance to setting up and running effective institutional research data management services to support researchers and networks.

The research landscape is changing, with key global research funders now requiring institutions to demonstrate how they will preserve and share research data. However, the practice of structured research data management is very new, and the construction of services remains experimental and in need of models and standards of approach. This groundbreaking guide will lead researchers, institutions and policy makers through the processes needed to set up and run effective institutional research data management services.

This 'how to' guide provides a step-by-step explanation of the components for an institutional service. Case studies from the newly emerging service infrastructures in the UK, USA and Australia draw out the lessons learnt. Different approaches are highlighted and compared; for example, a researcher-focused strategy from Australia is contrasted with a national, top-down approach, and a national research data management service is discussed as an alternative to institutional services.

Key topics covered:

Research data provision

Options and approaches to research data management service provision

A spectrum of roles, responsibilities and competences

A pathway to sustainable research data services: from scoping to sustainability

The range and components of RDM infrastructure and services.

Case studies:

Johns Hopkins University

University of Southampton

Monash University

The UK Data Service

Jisc Managing Research Data programmes.

Readership: This book will be an invaluable guide to those entering a new and untried enterprise. It will be particularly relevant to heads of libraries, information technology managers, research support office staff and research directors planning for these types of services. It will also be of interest to researchers, funders and policy makers as a reference tool for understanding how shifts in policy will have a range of ramifications within institutions. Library and information science students will find it an informative window on an emerging area of practice.

Table of Contents:

1. A patchwork of change - Graham Pryor 2. Options and approaches to RDM service provision - Graham Pryor 3. Who’s doing data? A spectrum of roles, responsibilities and competences - Graham Pryor 4. A pathway to sustainable research data services: from scoping to sustainability - Angus Whyte 5. The range and components of RDM infrastructure and services - Sarah Jones 6. Case study 1: Johns Hopkins University Data Management Services - G Sayeed Choudhury 7. Case study 2: University of Southampton – a partnership approach to research data management - Mark L Brown and Wendy White 8. Case study 3: Monash University, a strategic approach - Anthony Beitz, David Groenewegen, Cathrine Harboe-Ree, Wilna Macmillan and Sam Searle 9. Case study 4: a national solution – the UK Data Service - Matthew Woollard and Louise Corti 10. Case study 5: development of institutional RDM services by projects in the Jisc Managing Research Data programmes - Simon Hodson and Laura Molloy.