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Ekstrom Library

Data Management

Why Use Data Management Best Practices?

  • Increase the visibility of your research. If you make your data available through searchable repositories, your data will be able to reach and be easily understood by more people.
  • Preserve your data for future research. Maintain long term access to data for your own research. Metadata and preservation also ensures data integrity and proper description.
  • Meet funder requirements. Many funding agencies now require a data management plan (DMP) and require data to be made publicly available.
  • Facilitate new discoveries. Allowing the reuse of your data opens scientific inquiry. This can help other researchers avoid duplicating your efforts, rather than having to gather similar data themselves.

Research Data Management Lifecycle

Is Your Data FAIR?

The need for data to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) has increased dramatically in recent years. The The FAIR Guiding Principles for Scientific Data Management and Stewardship is a guideline for researchers who want to enhance the reusability of their data, specifically emphasizing the ability of machines to automatically find and use the data.