Every discipline has data. Research data that should be properly managed include both quantitative and qualitative data.
Types of data to include in a repository:
Research data may include all of the following:
Text or Word documents, spreadsheets
Laboratory notebooks, field notebooks, diaries
Questionnaires, transcripts, codebooks
Audiotapes, videotapes
Photographs, films
Test responses
Slides, artifacts, specimens, samples
Collection of digital objects acquired and generated during the process of research
Data files
Database contents including video, audio, text, images
Models, algorithms, scripts
Contents of an application such as input, output, log files for analysis software, simulation software, schemas
Methodologies and workflows
Standard operating procedures and protocols
Source: Boston University Libraries: http://www.bu.edu/datamanagement/background/whatisdata/
Save yourself time and money! Well-organized, easy-to-find files make for more efficient research. Save yourself the time, money, and pain of searching for things and restoring lost data. Plan ahead and be consistent. Making data management a habit instead of a chore will free you up to do more research.
Maximize the impact of your research! Good data management facilitates reuse and increases the visibility of your research. Well-managed and persistent data make your work more discoverable, verifiable, and reproducible. Move science forward and make a bigger impact by ensuring your data are accessible and useable.
It’s required. Most funding agencies are now making data management plans (DMPs) a requirement for grant proposals, and journals are increasingly insisting on data sharing as a condition of publishing your work. Ensure compliance and conduct responsible research by making a plan and sticking to it.
Maintain Integrity. managing your data throughout its life cycle will ensure that you and others can understand use the data in the future.
Credits: University of Texsas at Austin.
Below you can find some videos on data management created by Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) and National Information Standards Organization (NISO).
Each funding agency has its own data management guidelines. Below you can find PDF files of the requirements for data management plan from the major funding agencies: