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Research Data Management

Research Data Management

Research data applies to all disciplines and can be defined as anything that has been created or gathered that helps you to answer your research question (NEH, 2018), regardless of whether it is in a physical or digital format (RCUK, 2016).

University of Plymouth Research Data Policy

The University of Plymouth has a Research Data Policy which its researchers need to comply with. The policy clarifies the roles, responsibilities and support infrastructure in the context of the research lifecycle, and outlines the actions required of researchers.

The policy outlines the following principles:

1. Data management planning is embedded in research activities throughout the lifecycle of every project.
2. Research data management practices are compliant with legal, ethical, contractual and funding requirements.
3. Data is well organised and documented from the outset to ensure its integrity, discovery and reusability.
4. Data is stored securely and protected against unauthorised modification or destruction.
5. Data of long-term value is selected for preservation.
6. Researchers recognise the value of research data to the wider community and are committed to making their data open access and usable, wherever possible and within an appropriate and defined period.

University of Plymouth RDM Policy

Research Data Management for Funded Research

Funders increasingly have requirements around research data.

You will need to know about the needs of your funder towards the beginning of the project so that you can plan for how to meet these requirements as you carry out your project.

There may also be ethical concerns around your data, which you will need to be aware of and prepare for.

You can find out more about these requirements in our guidance below.

 

Funder Requirements, Ethics & Data Ownership

University of Plymouth Support for RDM

Research Data Management support is provided by several university departments, depending on the nature of the query:

Research & Innovation

Funding & costing for RDM within grant bids; legal & ethical considerations; patents & Intellectual Property; Data Sharing Agreements

TIS (IT Services)

Technical solutions for data management e.g. costing for bespoke storage; device encryption; data destruction and information security.  Raise a self-service request to access any of these services.

Library & Digital Support

Your Information Specialists can advise on issues relating to Open Data; data sharing; repositories and publications.  Click on the link above to find out who your Information Specialist is, or contact via the generic email: informationspecialists@plymouth.ac.uk

The Research Data Lifecycle