We’re celebrating International Love Data Week from February 14 – 18. This year’s theme is “Data for everyone,” and it’s a great time to reflect on the significance of data and how it can help expand research. For instance, how do you care for and share it? And where might you look to find similar data?
“Data” may represent a spectrum of meanings, origins, and uses for each person. Consider the differences and similarities between these data records for environmental PCB research, quantum chemistry, and human rights diplomacy rights diplomacy. For a researcher, the culture of practice in their domain may strongly influence how they care for and share their data, as may funder, publisher and institutional requirements.
Taking good care of data during research and making it available to peers and the wider world expands the impact that research can have. And even if data itself can’t be shared to protect human subjects, creating a record about the data in a repository enables others to find out about it, understand it, submit a request for it through a data use agreement, and cite it when they use it.
The Research Data Services Team at the UI Libraries is here to assist with creating data sharing plans, managing data during research projects, and publishing and preserving research data. In addition, the team collaborates with campus partners to assist with technical and policies compliance, data use agreements, and informatics and data analysis.
An article (Data-Driven Research, page 22) in the Winter 2022 issue of the Libraries’ quarterly publication, Bindings, explores a collaboration between the Iowa Superfund Research Program’s researchers, staff, and students and Data Services. It’s just one example of how a project and individual researchers are making their data available for everyone by utilizing available resources.
Do you have questions or looking for assistance and ideas? Contact lib-data@uiowa.edu.
To see all the events taking place around the world, visit Love Data Week 2022 – International Events.
By Brian Westra, data services manager