Why is Data Management Important?

It is easier to perform a task when you acquire the correct tools and have the expertise to use them. Similarly, knowing how to manage your data throughout the research lifecycle is a worthwhile skill for any research project. Practicing good data management from the beginning and throughout the entire life cycle will save time and help safeguard against catastrophic loss in the future.

Clearly documented data provides evidence for your research in conjunction with your published results. Describing data effectively can help you find or interpret older research data. Sharing data can promote new discoveries and research, resulting in an increase of your research impact with additional citations.

Alongside the personal benefits for managing data, many funding agencies and even the federal government (through the OPEN Government Data Act) have data management requirements. For example, National Institutes of Health awards post-2023 are required to align with the Data Management and Sharing Policy (DMSP). This means a researcher needs to create and implement a data management and sharing plan with every grant application, regardless of award amount.

Lewis Library provides consultation services to help you navigate available resources throughout the data lifecycle. Contact us or your Library Liaison to schedule an appointment.

This quick five-minute video reiterates the importance of good data management. It uses real-world examples of poor data storage, lack of metadata, and the impact of reusability.

Your Research Process

Before Your Research Begins

• Explore funding agency requirements for data and write your Data Management Plan (DMP).
  • FAIRsharing.org to find funder policies and DMPTool to create your DMP.
  • SPARC compiles a list of sharing requirements by federal funding agency.
• Consider Institutional Review Board (IRB) policies when contemplating sharing data on human subjects.
• Explore online tools to learn about the data life cycle and how to manage data.

During Your Research Process

• Consider and create the metadata you will need to provide along with your data so others can understand and reuse.
  • FAIRsharing.org lists standards and links to different databases.
• Learn about the basics of copyright and the Creative Commons copyright license.
• Select applications to store and back up your active data that offer flexibility, functionality, and access.
  • LabArchives is a digital lab notebook and is free for HSC researchers.

After Your Research Ends

• Share and publish your data with the appropriate data archive or repository.
• Learn how to cite datasets and ensure your data are cited correctly.