1. Towards a policy for Research Data
Management at UAL
6th March 2013

2. Background to UAL and the case study
• The RDM working group
• DCC Institutional
Engagement
• Environmental
Assessment Survey
• Towards a definition of
research data
• RDM Policy Progress
• Training
• Key achievements

3. Working group
• First met 10 April 2012,
then monthly
• Membership
Library Services
Research Management &
Administration
Research active community
IT Services

4. DCC Institutional Engagement
Developing an RDM Policy at UAL

5. DCC Institutional Engagement
• Strategy action plan agreed
• 4 week timetable (Mid-July deadline)
• Identify currently funded research projects
• Telephone interviews achieved
• Transcriptions analysed in a meeting with DCC
• Post Doc support provided a “sounding board”
• In depth follow-up interviews arranged
Outcomes
• Technical Infrastructure Diagram
• Draft RDM Policy
Developing an RDM Policy at UAL

6. Environmental analysis
‘Research Data’ terminology is
not understood
Practice-based research process
is unique in visual arts
Ethical implications addressed
throughout the process
Curatorial and archiving advice
is needed by researchers
© ‘Owl’ by Roger Warren University of the
Arts London, Central Saint Martins
Museum and Study Collection

7. Towards a definition of research data in the visual
arts
“the output is built in to the very
process. What’s an output and what’s
the research is very slippery.”
“...sometimes I will be doing what I
would call a more ‘conventional
researchers’ role; at other times I will be
working in a very practice led way in a
studio with actors trying out ideas.”
“a lot of practice based research...is
data in a way, in a sense, it’s how you
start to build your work and your
process through just these incidentals.
A lot of artistic practice work is research
fieldwork”. Paul Ryan Sketchbooks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulryanandsketchbooks/
2906508327/in/set-72157607661375770/

8. Towards a definition of research data in the visual
arts
"terminology is important (...) and phrases must (where possible) be drawn
from within the arts rather than library science or similar.”
(JISC Incremental project)
• ‘Output is the process (practice based research)’
• ‘evidence of the journey’
• ‘archiving your process’
• ‘pre-production...’
• ‘working notes’
• ‘tacit knowledge’

9. Survey results revealed a variety of research data
Images
Interviews
Websites
Observations
Movies
Sketchbooks
Papers
Image © Hodes, Charlotte

10. Ropetackle Lenses by Amanda Hopkins, Senior Researcher,
Central Saint Martins.
Images © Hopkins, Amanda and Geliot, Steve and Twinham-Cauci, Anna.

11. Fragmented Images: papercuts and ceramics
Charlotte Hodes, London College of Fashion
Images © Hodes, Charlotte

12. UAL Research Data Management Policy

13. RDM Policy at UAL
http://www.arts.ac.uk/research/data-management/

14. Training
• KAPTUR training event was held at
UAL in November
• Further training will be offered
from 2013/2014 to:
 Early Career Researchers
 Research students
 New Research Staff

15. Social media and dissemination
• An active Twitter account for
UAL representing Kaptur
• https://twitter.com/UALKaptur
• 321 Tweets with 83 followers
• Blog posts

16. Key RDM Achievements
Monthly meetings UAL RDM Policy and
of the UAL RDM procedures approved
Working Group in October 2012
Buy-in and support Commitment to an RDM
from key Policy and EPSRC
stakeholders: IT, Roadmap from Senior
Library, Senior Management
researchers

17. For further information
• http://www.arts.ac.uk/research/data-
management/
• s.mahurter@arts.ac.uk