Abstract
INTRODUCTION Since the 2000s, interest in research data management (RDM) has grown considerably. As a result, a large body of literature has discussed a broad variety of aspects related to data management. But, few studies have examined and also interpreted from visual perception the intellectual structure and progressive development of the existing literature on RDM. METHODS Guided by five research questions, this study employed bibliometric techniques and a visualization tool (CiteSpace) to identify and analyze the patterns of the scholarly publications about RDM. RESULTS Through CiteSpace’s modeling and computing, the knowledge (or network) structures, significant studies, notable topics, and development trends in the literature of RDM were revealed. DISCUSSION The majority of the literature pertinent to RDM was published after 2002. Major research clusters within this interdisciplinary field include “scientific collaboration,” “research support service,” and “data literacy,” while the “scientific collaboration” research cluster was the most active. Topics such as “digital curation” and “information processing” appeared most frequently in the RDM literature. Additionally, there was a sharp increase in several specific topics, such as “digital library,” “big data,” and “data sharing.” CONCLUSION By looking into the “profile” of the literature on RDM, in terms of knowledge structure, evolving trends, and important topics in the domain, this work will add new information to current discussions about RDM, new service development, and future research focuses in this area.
Highlights
Since the 2000s, interest in research data management (RDM) has grown considerably
By checking the metrics that CiteSpace uses for citation analysis, important and remarkable publications are identified, which can help researchers track the development or paths of transformative changes in the RDM knowledge domain
In the “data service” research cluster that this study identified, important contributions include a large-sample survey conducted in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom pertaining to the roles that libraries and librarians can play to carry out research data management services (Corrall, Kennan, & Afzal, 2013); a report on US and Canadian libraries’ practices in the implementation of research data services, noting a gradual expansion of traditional information retrieval service to more technology-focused approaches, such as creating metadata and archiving data (Tenopir, Sandusky, Allard, & Birch, 2014); and a survey among UK academic libraries about their involvement in RDM, which showed that only large research institutions were offering limited RDM services (Cox & Pinfield, 2014)
Summary
Since the 2000s, interest in research data management (RDM) has grown considerably. A large body of literature has discussed a broad variety of aspects related to data management. Management of research data has received notable attention in a wide array of disciplines. This situation is associated with several factors, of which the following two are probably the most prominent. Researchers are required by funding agencies and major publishers to prepare data management plans (DMPs) and make their data/research results publicly accessible to improve transparency in the research and increase reproducibility. Big data and research data management (RDM) have been discussed extensively over the last several years, and the stakeholders involved are all striving to better understand this relatively new field. Being closely associated with information access, management, and dissemination, academic libraries are actively exploring opportunities to play a role in the RDM landscape
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