This document discusses the importance of good data management. It notes that data needs to be findable and usable to have value. New forms of data present new challenges. It promotes sharing data through repositories to allow for reuse. Software is also an important part of research that needs to be sustained. Thinking about projects in stages allows for evaluating progress.

1. The Importance of Good Data Management David De Roure

2. PolicyGrid m Current Nodes NCRM phase 2 Rural communities DAMES Harnessing advances in digital technology and practice to achieve world-class social research with maximum impact DE Hubs Social Inclusion NeISS highwire Genesis CQeSS e-Social Science m MoSeS Obesity e-Lab HUB m Horizon DReSS Creative Industries DE DTCs Finance mmm Healthcare Media MiMeG Genesis OeSS m eStat GeoVUE m m Entertainment Web Science ncrm LifeGuide www.digitalsocialresearch.net

3. We’re not starting from scratch First? “because good research needs good data”

5. Data may as well not exist… …unless it can be found and it can be used So avoid WORN archives (WORN = Write Once Read Never)

6. New forms of data, new challenges

8. method data

10. http://www.myexperiment.org/

11. The Executable Thesis new data executablethesis PhD Student new results

13. Thinking about projects in developmental stages, to allow funders – and the project leaders themselves – the opportunity to evaluate progress or potential along the way

14. Summary We’re not starting from scratch Best practice is out there and evolving The social life of data Find it and reuse it or may as well lose it New forms of data, new challenges Institutional secure data? Data is only part of the story Beyond the PDF, software too Address incentives and reward structures Can’t share vs won’t share

15. david.deroure@oerc.ox.ac.uk blogs.nature.com/eresearch @dder

16. Links Digital Social Research http://www.digitalsocialresearch.net/ Linked Data http://linkeddata.org/ National Centre for Research Methods http://www.ncrm.ac.uk/ myExperiment Project http://wiki.myexperiment.org/ The Software Sustainability Institute http://software.ac.uk/ Ithaca report http://www.ithaka.org/ithaka-s-r/research/funding-for-sustainability