A new handbook on managing and sharing research data written by four experts from the UK Data Archive and UK Data Service at the University of Essex has been published by SAGE.
The book consolidates 20 years of expertise in the area and gives researchers, postgraduate students and research institutions with a comprehensive and up-to-date resource for planning their data.
Managing and Sharing Research Data: A Guide to Good Practice is a 240-page compendium of advice, examples, case studies and exercises covering a wide range of topics including:
- How to plan your research using a data management checklist
- How to format and organise data
- How to store and transfer data
- Research ethics and privacy in data sharing and intellectual property rights
- Data strategies for collaborative research
- How to publish and cite data
- How to make use of other people’s research data
This is information of critical interest now, as research funders in the UK, United States and across Europe are implementing data management and sharing policies to maximise the transparency, reuse and accountability of research data funded and produced.
The authors Dr Louise Corti, Veerle Van den Eynden, Dr Libby Bishop and Professor Matthew Woollard are all based at the University of Essex. They have compiled and improved the guidance over decades of working directly as UK researchers funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The handbook builds on guidance previously published by the UK Data Archive and UK Data Service.
“The ESRC considers that effective data management is an essential precondition for generating high quality reusable data,” says Paul Boyle, Chief Executive of the ESRC. “Researchers need to be armed with the knowledge and skills to ensure that the data they create and manage can be exploited to the maximum potential for further research. This book offers these skills in an approachable way.”
“[The book’s] great strength is the way it combines thought-provoking practical exercises, exemplars and checklists for action, and case studies with the rationale for action on each topic, addressing potential concerns and pitfalls,” says Jude England, Head of Social Sciences for The British Library.
“Whether beginner or experienced professor, every researcher will find helpful up-to-date advice in the pages of Managing and Sharing Research Data,” adds Nigel Fielding, Professor in Social Research Methodology at the University of Surrey. “This book is a much-needed resource that will serve the field well.”
The book is available in hardback and paperback and can be ordered online. Orders through SAGE are eligible for a £4.99 discount; enter the promotional code UK14SM12 at checkout.
Links:
• Order from SAGE (UK and Europe)
• Order from SAGE (US)
• Order from Amazon (UK)
• Order from Amazon (US)
Find out more about UK Data Service expertise in research data management.