Managing Scientific Information And Research Data

Innovative technologies are changing the way research is performed, preserved, and communicated. Managing Scientific Information and Research Data explores how these technologies are used and provides detailed analysis of the approaches and tools developed to manage scientific information and data. Following an introduction, the book is then divided into 15 chapters discussing the changes in scientific communication; new models of publishing and peer review; ethics in scientific communication; preservation of data; discovery tools; discipline-specific practices of researchers for gathering and using scientific information; academic social networks; bibliographic management tools; information literacy and the information needs of students and researchers; the involvement of academic libraries in eScience and the new opportunities it presents to librarians; and interviews with experts in scientific information and publishing. Promotes innovative technologies for creating, sharing and managing scientific content Presents new models of scientific publishing, peer review, and dissemination of information Serves as a practical guide for researchers, students, and librarians on how to discover, filter, and manage scientific information Advocates for the adoption of unique author identifiers such as ORCID and ResearcherID Looks into new tools that make scientific information easy to discover and manage Shows what eScience is and why it is becoming a priority for academic libraries Demonstrates how Electronic Laboratory Notebooks can be used to record, store, share, and manage research data Shows how social media and the new area of Altmetrics increase researchers’ visibility and measure attention to their research Directs to sources for datasets Provides directions on choosing and using bibliographic management tools Critically examines the metrics used to evaluate research impact Aids strategic thinking and informs decision making

It has become increasingly accepted that important digital data must be retained and shared in order to preserve and promote knowledge, advance research in and across all disciplines of scholarly endeavor, and maximize the return on investment of public funds. To meet this challenge, colleges and universities are adding data services to existing infrastructures by drawing on the expertise of information professionals who are already involved in the acquisition, management and preservation of data in their daily jobs. Data services include planning and implementing good data management practices, thereby increasing researchers' ability to compete for grant funding and ensuring that data collections with continuing value are preserved for reuse. This volume provides a framework to guide information professionals in academic libraries, presses, and data centers through the process of managing research data from the planning stages through the life of a grant project and beyond. It illustrates principles of good practice with use-case examples and illuminates promising data service models through case studies of innovative, successful projects and collaborations.

A comprehensive guide to everything scientists need to know about data management, this book is essential for researchers who need to learn how to organize, document and take care of their own data. Researchers in all disciplines are faced with the challenge of managing the growing amounts of digital data that are the foundation of their research. Kristin Briney offers practical advice and clearly explains policies and principles, in an accessible and in-depth text that will allow researchers to understand and achieve the goal of better research data management. Data Management for Researchers includes sections on: * The data problem – an introduction to the growing importance and challenges of using digital data in research. Covers both the inherent problems with managing digital information, as well as how the research landscape is changing to give more value to research datasets and code. * The data lifecycle – a framework for data’s place within the research process and how data’s role is changing. Greater emphasis on data sharing and data reuse will not only change the way we conduct research but also how we manage research data. * Planning for data management – covers the many aspects of data management and how to put them together in a data management plan. This section also includes sample data management plans. * Documenting your data – an often overlooked part of the data management process, but one that is critical to good management; data without documentation are frequently unusable. * Organizing your data – explains how to keep your data in order using organizational systems and file naming conventions. This section also covers using a database to organize and analyze content. * Improving data analysis – covers managing information through the analysis process. This section starts by comparing the management of raw and analyzed data and then describes ways to make analysis easier, such as spreadsheet best practices. It also examines practices for research code, including version control systems. * Managing secure and private data – many researchers are dealing with data that require extra security. This section outlines what data falls into this category and some of the policies that apply, before addressing the best practices for keeping data secure. * Short-term storage – deals with the practical matters of storage and backup and covers the many options available. This section also goes through the best practices to insure that data are not lost. * Preserving and archiving your data – digital data can have a long life if properly cared for. This section covers managing data in the long term including choosing good file formats and media, as well as determining who will manage the data after the end of the project. * Sharing/publishing your data – addresses how to make data sharing across research groups easier, as well as how and why to publicly share data. This section covers intellectual property and licenses for datasets, before ending with the altmetrics that measure the impact of publicly shared data. * Reusing data – as more data are shared, it becomes possible to use outside data in your research. This chapter discusses strategies for finding datasets and lays out how to cite data once you have found it. This book is designed for active scientific researchers but it is useful for anyone who wants to get more from their data: academics, educators, professionals or anyone who teaches data management, sharing and preservation. "An excellent practical treatise on the art and practice of data management, this book is essential to any researcher, regardless of subject or discipline." —Robert Buntrock, Chemical Information Bulletin

New digital technologies have transformed how scientific information is created, disseminated—and discovered. The emergence of new forms of scientific publishing based on open science and open access have caused a major shift in scientific communication and a restructuring of the flow of information. Specialized indexing services and search engines are trying to get into information seekers’ minds to understand what users are actually looking for when typing all these keywords or drawing chemical structures. Using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and semantic indexing, these "discovery agents" are trying to anticipate users’ information needs. In this highly competitive environment, authors should not sit and rely only on publishers, search engines, and indexing services to make their works visible. They need to communicate about their research and reach out to a larger audience. Driving Science Information Discovery in the Digital Age looks through the "eyes" of the main "players" in this "game" and examines the discovery of scientific information from three different, but intertwined, perspectives: Discovering, managing, and using information (Information seeker perspective) Publishing, disseminating, and making information discoverable (Publisher perspective) Creating, spreading, and promoting information (Author perspective). Presents an overview of the current scientific publishing landscape Shows how users can search for scientific information more efficiently Critically analyses the metrics used to measure the quality of journals and the impact of research Looks at the discovery of scientific information from the perspectives of information seekers, publishers, and authors Delves into the practices used by specialized indexing services and search engines to process scientific information and make it discoverable Recommends strategies that authors could use to promote their research

A comprehensive guide to everything scientists need to know about data management, this book is essential for researchers who need to learn how to organize, document and take care of their own data. Researchers in all disciplines are faced with the challenge of managing the growing amounts of digital data that are the foundation of their research. Kristin Briney offers practical advice and clearly explains policies and principles, in an accessible and in-depth text that will allow researchers to understand and achieve the goal of better research data management. Data Management for Researchers includes sections on: * The data problem - an introduction to the growing importance and challenges of using digital data in research. Covers both the inherent problems with managing digital information, as well as how the research landscape is changing to give more value to research datasets and code. * The data lifecycle - a framework for data's place within the research process and how data's role is changing. Greater emphasis on data sharing and data reuse will not only change the way we conduct research but also how we manage research data. * Planning for data management - covers the many aspects of data management and how to put them together in a data management plan. This section also includes sample data management plans. * Documenting your data - an often overlooked part of the data management process, but one that is critical to good management; data without documentation are frequently unusable. * Organizing your data - explains how to keep your data in order using organizational systems and file naming conventions. This section also covers using a database to organize and analyze content. * Improving data analysis - covers managing information through the analysis process. This section starts by comparing the management of raw and analyzed data and then describes ways to make analysis easier, such as spreadsheet best practices. It also examines practices for research code, including version control systems. * Managing secure and private data - many researchers are dealing with data that require extra security. This section outlines what data falls into this category and some of the policies that apply, before addressing the best practices for keeping data secure. * Short-term storage - deals with the practical matters of storage and backup and covers the many options available. This section also goes through the best practices to insure that data are not lost. * Preserving and archiving your data - digital data can have a long life if properly cared for. This section covers managing data in the long term including choosing good file formats and media, as well as determining who will manage the data after the end of the project. * Sharing/publishing your data - addresses how to make data sharing across research groups easier, as well as how and why to publicly share data. This section covers intellectual property and licenses for datasets, before ending with the altmetrics that measure the impact of publicly shared data. * Reusing data - as more data are shared, it becomes possible to use outside data in your research. This chapter discusses strategies for finding datasets and lays out how to cite data once you have found it. This book is designed for active scientific researchers but it is useful for anyone who wants to get more from their data: academics, educators, professionals or anyone who teaches data management, sharing and preservation.

Research Data Management and Data Literacies help researchers familiarize themselves with RDM, and with the services increasingly offered by libraries. This new volume looks at data-intensive science, or ‘Science 2.0’ as it is sometimes termed in commentary, from a number of perspectives, including the tasks academic libraries need to fulfil, new services that will come online in the near future, data literacy and its relation to other literacies, research support and the need to connect researchers across the academy, and other key issues, such as ‘data deluge,’ the importance of citations, metadata and data repositories. This book presents a solid resource that contextualizes RDM, including good theory and practice for researchers and professionals who find themselves tasked with managing research data. Gives guidance on organizing, storing, preserving and sharing research data using Research Data Management (RDM) Contextualizes RDM within the global shift to data-intensive research Helps researchers and information professionals understand and optimize data-intensive ways of working Considers RDM in relation to varying needs of researchers across the sciences and humanities Presents key issues surrounding RDM, including data literacy, citations, metadata and data repositories

Choice Reviews Outstanding Academic Title In the behavioral sciences today, there is increasing emphasis on transparency, and the need for research studies to be made replicable. This book presents a straightforward approach to managing and documenting one's data so that other researchers can repeat the study. While data management may seem intimidating to new researchers, this book shows how easy it can (and should!) be. The first chapter presents a basic structure of folders and subfolders for organizing data files, and then each subsequent chapter delves into details for a specific folder. Step by step, readers learn to label and archive different kinds of project documents and data files, including original, processed, and working data. Readers also learn to write command codes showing exactly how the original data are analyzed. Examples illustrate how to document the most common types of research (an online survey, a paper questionnaire, and a multiple-trial experiment). Since major research funders now require recipients to meet strict standards for data handling, this book will foster a vital career skill for students and promote transparency and replicability of research.

Based on case studies this book offers an insight in various European activities and practices in data management and their interaction with policies and programs. The latter form the background for the following case studies, provide the conceptual framework, at the same time giving an exhaustive understanding of the specific subjects. The case studies share common themes and give a concrete insight into vital issues such as web archiving, digitization of analog archives, researchers’ motivations for sharing data, and how libraries, archives and researchers can collaborate in creating research tools and services.