Last Updated on December 19, 2023, 2:09 pm ET
The Realities of Academic Data Sharing (RADS) Initiative has entered the second phase of the project, generously funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. While this work is focused on the costs of making data publicly available, a key component of this project included the publication of the Public-Access Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Activities for Academic Administration and Researchers Data in November 2022. Now, the team has released an updated version of Public-Access DMS Activities that has been refined with input from key stakeholders, including participants of previous RADS surveys, data stewards and librarians, and funder representatives.
The Public-Access DMS Activities cover the life cycle of research data sharing from the perspective of two key stakeholders: research teams and institutional research support services. These intentionally broad categories were designed to be inclusive of a variety of roles, and will likely be of value for different stakeholders. Below we describe some of the ways in which the Public-Access DMS Activities may be useful, however, we invite users to draw on the activities in ways that are useful for their specific contexts.
For researchers, especially those in the early stages of their careers, the Public-Access DMS Activities offer a broad view of potential data management and sharing considerations for all research projects, but particularly those that are funded. This resource serves as an educational guide, aiding researchers in: assessing their data sharing needs, budgeting for necessary activities, and identifying potential campus partners for optimal data management support. In particular, reviewing the activities could be a useful exercise for researchers considering allocating funding for data management and sharing support in grant proposals, as they can appropriately budget for activities that are necessary for their project.
The State of Open Data 2023 report, which summarized responses from over 6,000 international researchers, said, “three quarters of respondents had never received support with planning, managing or sharing research data.” While this reported number seems high, a forthcoming gap analysis report from the RADS team shows that institutions may be offering support for services for a wide variety of data management and sharing activities, but that these services are being underutilized by researchers. We hope researchers will use the RADS Public-Access DMS Activities to identify activities either not currently being done during their projects that should be done, or activities that are being done within their research teams that could benefit from local support opportunities offered by campus service providers.
Additionally, the complementary set of Public-Access DMS Activities for institutional research support is broad in scope and may be useful for personnel and administrators of data sharing service–based departments and units. The activities will be of value to administrators looking to conduct an institutional environmental scan on research data management and sharing services at their institutions. By assessing the support offered through different campus departments and units, administrators can identify areas for service collaborations, as well as current data sharing support gaps and opportunities. This will help institutions maximize their resources by amplifying current services, removing duplication of effort, and providing end-to-end support for researchers in managing and sharing their data.
As the RADS Initiative continues, our team looks forward to empowering both researchers and administrators in navigating the evolving data management and sharing landscape. By embracing the insights and collaborative spirit embedded in the Public-Access DMS Activities, academic institutions can foster a culture of transparency, resource optimization, and effective data stewardship for the benefit of the entire scholarly community.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant LG-254930-OLS-23, and the National Science Foundation EAGER grant #2135874.
