Research Data Services Research Articles

Management and maintenance of research data by researchers in Zimbabwe

PurposeThe concept of research data management (RDM) is new in Zimbabwe and other developing countries. Research institutions are developing research data repositories and promoting the archiving of research data. As a way of creating awareness to researchers on RDM, the purpose of this paper is to determine how researchers are managing their research data and whether they are aware of the developments that are taking place in RDM.Design/methodology/approachA survey using a mixed method approach was done and an online questionnaire was administered to 100 researchers in thirty research institutions in Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling was done by choosing participants from the authors of articles published in journals indexed by Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science. Interviews were done with five top researchers. The data was analysed using NVIVO. The results were presented thematically. The questionnaire was distributed using the research offices of the selected 30 research institutions. There was a 75% response rate.FindingsThe findings indicated that all the researchers are aware of the traditional way of managing research data. A total of 70% of the respondents are not aware of the current trends in RDM services, as they are keeping their data on machines and external hard drives, while 97.3% perceive RDM services as useful, as it is now a requirement when applying for research grants. Librarians have a bigger role to play in creating awareness on RDM among researchers and hosting the data repositories for archiving research data.Practical implicationsResearch institutions can invest in research data services and develop data repositories. Librarians will participate in educating researchers to come up with data management plans before they embark on a research project. This study also helps to showcase the strategies that can be used in awareness creation campaigns. The findings can also be used in teaching RDM in library schools and influence public policy both at institutional and national level.Social implicationsThis study will assist in building capacity among stakeholders about RDM. Based on the findings, research institutions should prioritise research data services to develop skills and knowledge among librarians and researchers.Originality/valueFew researches on RDM practices in Zimbabwe were done previously. Most of the papers that were published document the perception of librarians towards RDM, but this study focused mainly on researchers’ awareness and perception. The subject is still new and people are beginning to research on it and create awareness amongst the stakeholders in Zimbabwe.

Determining research data services maturity: The role of library leadership and stakeholder involvement

As technology and the stewardship of research data continue to improve, academic libraries have made progress in establishing themselves as hubs and leaders for research data services on campus. They have been called on to assure cross-campus collaboration and support to develop a united service to meet their community's needs. However, evidence as to how libraries play a crucial role in leadership, whether other stakeholders' involvement makes a difference, and if so, how that involvement makes a difference is not well-documented. The findings of this study add empirical evidence in supporting the value of library's leadership and stakeholder engagement in developing research data policy and services. The secondary analysis of the survey data found that libraries tend to offer more extensive services when they take primary responsibility for developing the policy and service. It also found that the more internal stakeholders involved in developing the policy and service, the higher level of service maturity the libraries offer. Partnership with external stakeholders leads to more comprehensive and deeper services.

Research data services from the perspective of academic librarians

Purpose This study aims to investigate the perceptions of academic librarians regarding research data services (RDS) in academic library environments. This study also examines a range of challenges in RDS from the perspectives of academic librarians. Design/methodology/approach A nationwide online survey was administered to academic librarians engaged in data services at research universities around the USA. The collected survey responses were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, hierarchical clustering and multidimensional scaling. Findings Academic librarians perceived that consultation services would be more valuable to users than technical services in offering RDS. Accordingly, skills associated with consultation services such as instructional skills and data management planning were perceived by participants to be more important. The results revealed that academic libraries would need to seek collaboration opportunities with other units on campus to develop and offer RDS, especially technical services. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing body of research on the topic of data services in research universities. The study investigated various types of specific professional competencies and used clustering analysis to identify closely associated groups of service types. In addition, this study comprehensively examined both relevant resources for and barriers to RDS.

Leveraging undergraduate federal work study student skill sets to support an R2 university libraries’ research data services

This article discusses creative approaches to establishing a research data services (RDS) at an R2 (high research activity) institution with a limited budget. Seton Hall University Libraries conducted a study of faculty data practices to inform services. The findings indicated that there was a need to support student, faculty, and administrative offices with data related questions such as obtaining data and performing data analysis. To support the findings, undergraduate Federal Work Students (FWS) were hired to build the RDS program in the Seton Hall University Libraries. This model makes it possible for medium sized institutions with limited resources to offer RDS.

Why Won’t They Just Adopt Good Research Data Management Practices? An Exploration of Research Teams and Librarians’ Role in Facilitating RDM Adoption

Adoption of good research data management practices is increasingly important for research teams. Despite the work the research community has done to define best data management practices, these practices are still difficult to adopt for many research teams. Universities all around the world have been offering Research Data Services to help their research groups, and libraries are usually an important part of these services. A better understanding of the pressures and factors that affect research teams may help librarians serve these groups more effectively. The social interactions between the members of a research team are a key element that influences the likelihood of a research group successfully adopting best practices in data management. In this article we adapt the Unified Theory of the Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis, 2003) to explain the variables that can influence whether new and better, data management practices will be adopted by a research group. We describe six moderating variables: size of the team, disciplinary culture, group culture and leadership, team heterogeneity, funder, and dataset decisions. We also develop three research group personas as a way of navigating the UTAUT model, and as a tool Research Data Services practitioners can use to target interactions between librarians and research groups to make them more effective.

Improving Opportunities for New Value of Open Data: Assessing and Certifying Research Data Repositories

Investments in research that produce scientific and scholarly data can be leveraged by enabling the resulting research data products and services to be used by broader communities and for new purposes, extending reuse beyond the initial users and purposes for which the data were originally collected. Submitting research data to a data repository offers opportunities for the data to be used in the future, providing ways for new benefits to be realized from data reuse. Improvements to data repositories that facilitate new uses of data increase the potential for data reuse and for gains in the value of open data products and services that are associated with such reuse. Assessing and certifying the capabilities and services offered by data repositories provides opportunities for improving the repositories and for realizing the value to be attained from new uses of data. The evolution of data repository certification instruments is described and discussed in terms of the implications for the curation and continuing use of research data.

Research Guide for Datastream and Worldscope at Wharton Research Data Services

The integration of Datastream and Worldscope databases at the Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) offers researchers a simple solution to bypass the cumbersome data collection and preparation process for global empirical research. This study guide proposes a clean approach to link these two databases through Refinitiv's Quantitative Mapping facilities. We then discuss various details about constructing stock returns through Datastream Return Index (RI). Finally, we demonstrate through an empirical case study on how to combine Datastream's pricing data and Worldscope's fundamental data to compare market characteristics across countries.

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is a unique, complex data resource popular with academia but also utilized in government agencies, nonprofits, and corporations. It contains financial and accounting related data and tools but also includes limited data from some other subject areas like healthcare and marketing. WRDS provides the interface to access datasets with limited datasets included and then individual datasets may also be purchased. WRDS makes accessing and using data easier for users, but it also depends on users having enough experience in the field to be familiar with the various vendors and data coverage. Within academia, faculty and graduate students may have an easier time even though undergraduates are permitted access. While it is complicated, it does ease some of the burdens of working with data. Because it is focused on data, it allows users to find and use data with less limitations that users may encounter with regular business databases.

Estimation of the static corporate sustainability interactions

ABSTRACT The empirical literature considers firm-specific aspects affecting corporate sustainability decisions but generally omits the influence of the competition. We advocate that sustainability actions of a company impact its marketplace and vice versa. Therefore, the sustainability return of the single firm is a function of the other firms’ sustainability decisions. We approach sustainability decisions as strategic decisions and evaluate the effect of competition and spillovers in a static market entry game. We estimate the parameters of the discrete choice model using the social performance ratings from MSCI KLD 400 Social Index as proxy for sustainability decisions and financial information from Wharton Research Data Services’ COMPUSTAT dataset. When strategic interaction is not accounted for, we find that an increase in the number of competitors increases the likelihood of sustainability investments, seemingly shows the spillover effect dominates the competition. When we apply the multi-stage approach, which incorporates competitive interaction, we provide empirical evidence that the effect of competition on the likelihood of entry into the sustainability market dominates the effect of spillover. We find that strategic motives, typically ignored in the empirical literature, appear to be an important factor in understanding sustainability-related decisions.

A systematic literature review on research data management practices and services

PurposeResearch data management (RDM) has been called a “ground-breaking” area for research libraries and it is among the top future trends for academic libraries. Hence, this study aims to systematically review RDM practices and services primarily focusing on the challenges, services and skills along with motivational factors associated with it.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review method was used focusing on literature produced between 2016–2020 to understand the latest trends. An extensive research strategy was framed and 15,206 results appeared. Finally, 19 studies have fulfilled the criteria to be included in the study following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis.FindingsRDM is gradually gaining importance among researchers and academic libraries; however, it is still poorly practiced by researchers and academic libraries. Albeit, it is better observed in developed countries over developing countries, however, there are lots of challenges associated with RDM practices by researchers and services by libraries. These challenges demand certain sets of skills to be developed for better practices and services. An active collaboration is required among stakeholders and university services departments to figure out the challenges and issues.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of policy and practical point-of-view present how research data can be better managed in the future by researchers and library professionals. The expected/desired role of key stockholders in this regard is also highlighted.Originality/valueRDM is an important and emerging area. Researchers and Library and Information Science professionals are not comprehensively managing research data as it involves complex cooperation among various stakeholders. A combination of measures is required to better manage research data that would ultimately move forward for open access publishing.

New Knowledge Services for Grey Literature: Innovative Ways to Improve Our Services in China

ABSTRACT How to get deeper knowledge from the grey literature and other numerous resources is more and more important. To support the scholars or scientists efficiently, new knowledge service appears in the ranks of library services with a new look, and highlights its increasingly important role. Despite an emerging picture worldwide, a lack of published research or library practices has made it difficult to gain an accurate overview of new knowledge services to support researching on grey literature in China. This paper aims to introduce new knowledge services for grey literature in China, and finally show a comprehensive framework of new knowledge services in China for librarians around the world. This paper introduces the knowledge services for grey literature in Chinese literature and the homepages of Chinese University libraries by using the method of document analysis and homepage research. This paper points out that research data services, knowledge sharing services, academic publishing consulting services, knowledge service librarians, information literacy services are important themes of knowledge services. We find that all of these types of services are provided by the Peking University library. All these prove that the Peking University library can be regarded as an excellent knowledge service provider. Our findings highlight a range of creative library programs that will assist librarians in improving knowledge services for grey literature. This paper will be of interest to public and school libraries around the world. The paper will also provide systematic review that is readily available for professionals and academician.

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is a web-based research platform that provides streamlined access to data from multiple vendors using a standard search interface. Launched in 1993 by the Whar...

The Road to Partnership: a Stepwise, Iterative Approach to Organisational Collaboration in RDM, Archives and Records Management

Research data management (RDM) sits at the confluence of a number of related roles. The shape an RDM confluence takes depends on several factors including the nature of an organisation and the research that it undertakes. At St George’s, University of London, the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research, RDM has been intricately interwoven with organisational information governance roles since its inception. RDM is represented on our institutional Information Governance Steering Group and our Information Management Team consisting of information governance, data protection, freedom of information, archives, records management and RDM.
 This paper reports on how RDM, archives and records management have collaborated using a step-wise, iterative process to streamline and harmonise our guidance and workflows in relation to the stewardship, curation and preservation of research data. As part of this we consistently develop, conduct and evaluate small projects on managing, curating and preserving data. We present three projects that we collaborated on to transform research data services across each of our departments:
 
 planning for, conducting and reporting on interviews with wet laboratory researchers
 advocating, building a case for and delivering a university-wide digital preservation system
 ongoing work to recover, preserve and facilitate access to a unique national health database
 
 Learnings from these projects are used to develop our guidance, improve our activities and integrate our workflows, the outcomes of which may be further evaluated. Learnings are also used to improve our ways of working together. Through deeper integration of our activities and workflows, rather than simply aligning aspects of our work, we are increasingly becoming partners on research data stewardship, curation and preservation. This approach offers several benefits to the organisation as it allows us to build on our related knowledge and skills and deliver outcomes that demonstrate greater value to the organisation and the researchers we support.

The on-premise data sharing infrastructure e!DAL: Foster FAIR data for faster data acquisition.

BackgroundThe FAIR data principle as a commitment to support long-term research data management is widely accepted in the scientific community. Although the ELIXIR Core Data Resources and other established infrastructures provide comprehensive and long-term stable services and platforms for FAIR data management, a large quantity of research data is still hidden or at risk of getting lost. Currently, high-throughput plant genomics and phenomics technologies are producing research data in abundance, the storage of which is not covered by established core databases. This concerns the data volume, e.g., time series of images or high-resolution hyper-spectral data; the quality of data formatting and annotation, e.g., with regard to structure and annotation specifications of core databases; uncovered data domains; or organizational constraints prohibiting primary data storage outside institional boundaries.ResultsTo share these potentially dark data in a FAIR way and master these challenges the ELIXIR Germany/de.NBI service Plant Genomic and Phenomics Research Data Repository (PGP) implements a “bring the infrastructure to the data” approach, which allows research data to be kept in place and wrapped in a FAIR-aware software infrastructure. This article presents new features of the e!DAL infrastructure software and the PGP repository as a best practice on how to easily set up FAIR-compliant and intuitive research data services. Furthermore, the integration of the ELIXIR Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure (AAI) and data discovery services are introduced as means to lower technical barriers and to increase the visibility of research data.ConclusionThe e!DAL software matured to a powerful and FAIR-compliant infrastructure, while keeping the focus on flexible setup and integration into existing infrastructures and into the daily research process.

Academic library's leadership and stakeholder involvement in research data services

AbstractIn the last decade, academic libraries have made progress in establishing themselves as hubs and leaders for research data services on campus. The importance of collaborating with a range of institutional stakeholders, such as the research or information technology office, as well as external partners in developing and delivering research data policy, services, and infrastructure, has been well‐documented. However, there is less evidence as to how libraries play a crucial role in leadership, whether other stakeholders’ involvement actually makes a difference and if so, how they make a difference. As such, the goal of this study is to explore the academic library's leadership role in research data services and how collaboration and partnership with stakeholders and interested parties might impact the maturity of the research data services the library provides. The secondary analysis of the existing survey data found that libraries offer more mature services when they take a primary responsibility in developing the services. It also found internal stakeholders’ and external partners’ involvement leads to more mature services in the selected activities.

Making Job Postings More Equitable: Evidence Based Recommendations from an Analysis of Data Professionals Job Postings Between 2013-2018

Abstract Objective - Over the last decade, many academic libraries have hired data professionals to offer research data services. As these positions often require different types of experience than traditional librarian positions, there is an increased interest in hiring professionals from outside the typical library and information science (LIS) pipeline. More broadly, there has also been an increased interest in academic libraries and higher education to incorporate the principles and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A) into their work. These phenomena allow an opportunity to examine the growing area of data professionals and library hiring practices through the lens of DEI&A. Data was collected from 180 data professional job positions, including education, experiences, and skills, to better understand the evolving and complex landscape of data professionals and to provide evidence based recommendations regarding how the profession can enact meaningful and lasting change in the areas of DEI&A. Methods - The qualifications and responsibilities listed in data professional job postings from 2013 to 2018 were examined. Prior to analyzing the job postings, a codebook of 43 variables was developed. The 177 data professional job postings (corresponding to 180 positions) were independently analyzed, noting the presence of each variable, including the locations and the degrees of complexity sought. After coding, discrepancies were mutually resolved. Overall, the coding process had 94% intercoder agreement, which indicates a high level of agreement. Results - Over one-third of postings (n = 63, 35%) did not use the word “librarian” in the job title. Eighty-eight percent (n = 159) required a Master’s in LIS degree, but 67% (n = 119) also accepted an equivalent degree. Over half of the positions (n = 108, 60%) were also looking for an additional degree, most frequently a graduate degree. The median salary of the positions listing a quantitative value was $57,000; however, this value may not be accurate because only 26% of job positions (n = 47) gave a quantitative salary. From the research data management skills mentioned, general data management (n = 155, 86%), data repositories (n = 122, 68%), and data curation (n = 101, 56%) appeared most frequently. Libraries were also looking for traditional LIS skills and experiences, including instruction (n = 138, 77%), consultation (n = 121, 67%), and a public services perspective (n = 69, 38%). Conclusion - The results show that academic libraries are trying to recruit candidates from outside the traditional academic library pipeline. Research data activities (a non-traditional area for LIS) and traditional LIS areas were both frequently mentioned. Overall, these job positions should be written through a more intentional lens of DEI&A. This would help to make data professional positions more diverse and inclusive, while also helping academic libraries to reach their goal of recruiting outside of LIS. A set of concrete DEI&A recommendations are provided that are applicable for writing all library positions, so that readers can put these results into action and enact meaningful change within the profession.

Models for Engaging Liaisons in Research Data Services

Research data services in academic libraries is often perceived as the purview of liaison librarians. A variety of models has emerged by which these services may be developed or implemented. These include hierarchical models and those based more on individual interest. Of critical importance with any model, however, is the identification of support and opportunities for engagement from library administration and management in order to grow and assess the implementation of research data services.

Readiness of academic libraries in South Africa to research, teaching and learning support in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

PurposeIn this paper, we refer to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2016, where the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) was coined by Klaus Schwab, with the reference that it would be building on “the Third, the digital revolution” and would be “characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres”. While acknowledging that the 4IR will impact on everything, everywhere, including research and libraries, we conceptualize 4IR, and we compare current academic library services/trends in South Africa with 4IR requirements, through the analysis of 26 public university library websites.Design/methodology/approachBesides conceptualization of 4IR, a content analysis of websites of 26 public universities’ libraries in South Africa was achieved followed up with verification of the data by respective libraries through a preliminary research report circulated to them by email. 23 areas were identified as the trends in academic libraries, which included free Wi-Fi in the libraries; 24/7 study areas and access to library resources on and off campus; research commons; makerspace; borrowing ICTs (e.g. laptops); e-resources; e-catalogues; research data services (RDS; RDM, IR); open scholarship; information literacy and reference/bibliographic tools, library as a publisher, among others. Data obtained were captured in Excel and analyzed by the research questions.FindingsThe 4IR concept does not occur often in literature, in relation to academic libraries, but it is implied. The findings show that the libraries are responding well to the revolution through their services, with remarkable innovation and creativity on display. There was a 64% presence of the analyzed trends/services in the libraries, with emerging trends/services such as library as a publisher (4%), robotics/AI (4%), makerspace (8%), RDS (27%), borrowing of ICTs/devices (19%) and user experience (19%) scoring low, while information literacy and digital scholarship (e.g. IR) (88%), e-catalogue and e-resources (92%), group study area (85%) and off campus access (77%) scoring above 75%. The scatter of the trends/services among the university libraries is noted for knowledge sharing of best practice.Research limitations/implicationsIn order to improve accordance with trends, academic libraries have to be better resourced, accessed and used, as well as improve web visibility. The study expects library services to be responsive, resourced and accessible anytime and anywhere, and it provides a conceptual framework and a benchmark for further research and exploration in the country, region and perhaps elsewhere.Practical implicationsThe study can be used for benchmarking current and future academic library services in Africa. The conceptual framework provides an agenda for theoretical discussions and deliberations.Social implicationsThe trends, framework and 4IR representations in the study can inform theory and practice in LIS, particularly in Africa.Originality/valueLinking 4IR to current and future library services provides a tool for academic libraries services benchmarking and development and provides a conceptual framework for theoretical and practical debates and implementation. The study is quite current and appropriate for the ongoing discussions of 4IR implications to academic libraries.

In the News

Welcome to the June 2020 issue of C&RL News. Every two years, ACRL’s Research Planning and Review Committee produces their “Top trends in academic libraries.” The 2020 edition discusses change management; evolving integrated library systems; learning analytics; machine learning and AI; the state of open access and research data services; social justice, critical librarianship, and critical digital pedagogy; streaming media; and student wellbeing. Many thanks to the committee for pulling together this important survey of the current landscape of academic and research librarianship.

A survey of current practices in data management education in nursing doctoral programs.

The inclusion of data management instruction within nursing doctoral curricula has not been systematically examined. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of data management education within nursing doctoral programs. Separate surveys were created for DNP (332) and PhD (138) program directors. Survey questions were based on the stages of the UK Data Service Research Data Lifecycle. One hundred and four nursing doctoral program directors responded, a 22% response rate. Sixty-seven (64%) were from DNP programs while 37 (35%) were from PhD programs. Although program directors reported that they were teaching stages of the research data lifecycle, data management is mostly being taught through individual mentoring or a single lecture within a required course, and that students' project data were not being preserved. Nursing doctoral programs need to develop consistent data management education, build an awareness of data policies, and clarify student project data sharing and ownership.