About the Research Data Service
The Research Data Service consists of several components delivered by experts across Information Services. We aim to provide the tailored support researchers need throughout the research lifecycle, whether you are creating new datasets or reusing existing data.
This introductory video shows more about the services we offer...
(Captions can be turned on and off using the captions icon on the video - the first icon on the right.)
The researcher's journey
We aim to simplify the choices a researcher must make in achieving good practice in research data management by presenting our set of tools and support according to the needs of the researcher, rather than by brand name (e.g. Data Store, DataShare...)
In this way, a researcher's journey begins with the planning phase, moves onto the active research project phase, and eventually concludes. These three major phases of a research project represent milestones on the data lifecycle in which university services may provide crucial support. We invite you to browse our offerings according to these three phases represented on our home page: planning for data management, actively working with data, sharing and preserving your data.
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Reskilling
At any point in the journey, reskilling may be required. Our data training portfolio is extensive and will continue to grow. Talk to us (via the Contact box above) about postgraduate training requirements. Partner with us to develop the training you and your group need to thrive in a data-centric research environment.
What is research data management?
Research Data Management (RDM) refers to good practice in planning, collecting, storing, using, sharing and preserving the data generated in any research project. It is increasingly accepted that good data management practice offers a number of benefits to researchers, and that an obligation of the research institution is to provide support and infrastructure for its researchers' data.
Both research funders and publishers increasingly expect that data resulting from research projects should be made available for scrutiny and re-use, whenever legal and ethical requirements allow. Where this is not possible, a public record of the data should be made available, such as in Pure, noting its location in a repository or other conditions of access. In most cases a version of the data should be kept safe and retrievable for a specified period of time after the end of the project. In all cases, the creation of a data management plan (DMP) can help to clarify what should become of the data, as well as how it should be handled during the life of the project.
The University's Research Data Management Policy
All of our work in creating and honing the service is based on the University's RDM Policy, renewed by the Senate as of January, 2022. Our Research Data Service steering group, led by Professor Andrew Millar, Biological Sciences, ensures our service goals are fit for purpose with the University research community.
Research Data Blog
The Data Blog features updates on services, projects and events from the Research Data Service team.