Time

The lesson is expected to take about 15 minutes to complete. There is also a reflection exercise, which it is good to do jointly with your fellow students.

About the lesson ‘Why you should manage data properly’

This lesson will introduce you to why good data management is important for you as a student at UCPH. You will learn how you should work with data in assignments, projects and the rest of your studies, and you will be introduced to UCPH’s Policy for Research Data Management, which applies to students in special situations.

This lesson will mention a number of concepts that may be new to you. You can see the definitions of these in the Glossary.

Learning outcomes

When you have completed the lesson, we expect that you:

can explain why you need to take good care of the data you are handling in connection with your studies.
can explain why good data management is an important part of scientific work.
can find UCPH’s Policy for Research Data Management and explain when it applies to you as a student.

Source

The lesson was produced by the University of Copenhagen as part of its learning resources for digital literacy, 2023.

Course directors:

Lorna Wildgaard (PhD), Specialist Consultant, Copenhagen University Library (KUB), Research Support Services
Asger Væring Larsen, Specialist Consultant, Copenhagen University Library (KUB), Research Support Services

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Why you should handle data properly

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For English subtitles, please look for the CC icon in the lower right corner of the video and press English.

In short, there are three good reasons why you should handle data properly:

Scientific work must be transparent – this means that others have to be able to understand how you selected or collected the data your analysis is based on, and how you processed the data.
Good data and file management is the foundation for effective knowledge work and collaboration. During your studies – and later in your working life – you will work with large amounts of data and files, and will be collaborating with many people. It is therefore important that you keep your data and files in order, in a way that is secure and easy for others to understand.
You must observe the special laws, rules and agreements that apply to processing confidential data (sensitive information about identifiable persons) and data that must be kept secret due to research or business considerations.

Good data management requires knowledge, a systematic approach and thoroughness. The lessons on data management will introduce you to the rules, basic concepts and principles that can help you get started.

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What do we mean by data?

The data we refer to in this lesson are data that you collect directly as part of your studies, or data you receive from your lecturer (e.g. in connection with case-based teaching activities). You can see a more concrete definition of data in the lesson What are data, and how are they different from information and knowledge?

Some of the data you work with during your studies will come from your lecturers, but such data must also be handled correctly to avoid making mistakes.

We work with data in all academic disciplines at UCPH, and data take many different forms. For example, numerical data, digital images, audio recordings, videos, interview transcripts, survey data, works of art, text, music scores, maps or observations.

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How do you ensure good data management?

Data management is about how you handle your data before, during and after your project or assignment. You must make conscious choices about how you manage your data when you collect, register, store, analyse, share and delete data.

Here is an overview of the principles for good data management. These will be further explained in the other data management lessons:

Save your files in formats that everyone can open, whether or not they have access to particular software. Examples of files with unrestricted access are ordinary text files (.txt), PNG files (.PNG) and CSV files (.csv). Proprietary formats are the opposite of open formats and include Word (.doc or .docx) and Excel documents (.xlsx). Read more in the lesson Save your data well – how to save data and find them again.
Back up your data regularly, in several places and on more than one type of media, so your data are protected against corruption and loss. Read more in the lesson Save your data well – how to save data and find them again.
Keep your computer well-organised by using meaningful names and logical folder structures, and manage file versions through good naming conventions. This increases your chances of being able to find the right file when you need it. Read more in the lesson Save your data well – how to save data and find them again.
Describe your survey process, your decisions and your changes, so that you and others can understand what the data are, and how they have been collected or generated, processed and analysed. This will help you remember what you have done when you come back later. If you do not write it down, you will forget it! Read more in the lesson Describe your data so they can be understood – how to reuse data.
Make sure you understand your data and any requirements for sharing and storage, for example in relation to GDPR and ethics rules, so you avoid making mistakes or minimise the consequences of these. Read more in the lessons Take care of your data – data classification and risks and Share your data with others – how to maximise use of data.
Work out whether it is appropriate to share your data with others, and how you can best do this. Read more in the lesson Share your data with others – how to maximise use of data.

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There are special requirements for data management in research projects at UCPH

The University of Copenhagen has a Policy for Research Data Management, governing how data should be managed in research projects. The aim of the policy is to enable staff and students to do responsible research within their subject areas, and observe the laws governing research data management.

Both students and staff must observe the policy when they are involved in research projects. This means that you generally only need to observe the policy when working on your bachelor project or master’s thesis, or if you are involved in a research project alongside your studies.

You must familiarise yourself with the policy before you start working with research data. Your lecturer or supervisor will tell you when you need to be aware of the policy, and advise you throughout the data management process

When does the policy apply to students?

The policy (section 3.1) applies to students in the following situations:

When they carry out their own research projects as part of their bachelor or master’s degree programme.
When they contribute to research projects at UCPH (e.g. as project members or as employed student assistants).

As a student, you generally only need to observe the policy when working on your bachelor project or master’s thesis, or if you are involved in a research project alongside your studies.

Supervisor’s responsibility

Supervisors are defined as experienced researchers who guide less experienced researchers or students. Supervisors must assist students in observing the policy.
Supervisors (section 3.4) are responsible for:

ensuring that the students they supervise are familiar with the laws, policies and agreements relevant to their research, including this policy and other UCPH policies.
ensuring that researchers and students have the necessary knowledge of good research data management, by providing guidance and mentoring.
going through what research data management entails for the students and researchers they supervise. This includes discussing their data management plan at the start of the project.
The University of Copenhagen Practice Committee has prepared a checklist for supervisors and students, listing things to consider in connection with a bachelor project or master’s thesis. Many of the listed topics concern rights and responsibilities in the project, including rights to and responsibility for research data. The checklist was created as a tool to ensure that potential issues in student projects are dealt with before they become a problem.

Are data you are working on in other situations (not your bachelor project or master’s thesis) covered by the Policy for Research Data Management?

Possibly. The policy applies to datasets that have been created in a research project and are reused for teaching. Whether the data you are working with are ‘research data’ can vary from project to project and from subject to subject, but will depend in part on:

data type and data size
the security measures required to protect data
legal and ethical obligations that apply to the project
any requirements set by partners, institutions, funders and publishers.

Ask your lecturer or supervisor if the assignment or project you are working on is covered by the policy.

If you work on a research project, you and the research team will plan how to manage data before the project starts. As a student, you will never be left with sole responsibility for managing research data.

We have developed an online course called ‘Research data management for students’. This will help you to manage research data correctly – in relation to data types, applicable rules and legislation and UCPH’s Policy for Research Data Management. The course provides guidance and information on tools to use to take care of research data. We recommend that you do the course as soon as you start collecting data for your own research project (e.g. your bachelor project or master’s thesis), or if you start work as an academic staff member or student assistant on a research project.

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Reflection exercise

Reflect on the following questions:

What data have you previously worked with?
Have you ever lost your data? What could you have done to prevent this data loss?
What form can research data take? What data do researchers work with in your discipline?
Have you worked with research data in a project or student job? What types of data have you worked with, and how were they processed?
When you start writing your bachelor project or master’s thesis, you will need to learn more about research data management. Where on KUnet can you find more information about research data management for students?

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If you want to know more

The University of Copenhagen has drawn up a Policy for Research Data Management. This describes expectations of students, researchers, heads of research and research support staff who handle data at UCPH.

The University of Copenhagen has developed an online course called ‘Research data management for students’. This explains how to manage research data in connection with your bachelor project or your master’s thesis at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH). We will guide you through the data management process – from planning data collection to analysis and storage during the project, and what to do with the data after project end.