Do you create or use data in your research? Looking for tips and tools to better help you manage your research data, and preserve it for long-term use? Do you want to learn how to write a good Data Management Plan for a grant proposal?

The OSU Libraries is offering Introduction to Research Data Management Workshop, an asynchronous online workshop for OSU community members engaged in research with data. This is an introductory course that will address topics like getting started with data management planning, funder requirements for data sharing, metadata, tips to help keep you organized, sharing, archiving and preservation, and an introduction to tools and on-campus support to aid researchers. This is a discipline agnostic workshop, all are welcome. The audience for this workshop are people who are starting to learn about data management. Anybody with an ONID can register.

You should plan on spending about an hour a day for each of the four consecutive days of the workshop to review the materials and complete the exercises. A group of tutors will be giving you feedback, and answering your questions. The course is offered via Canvas.

This workshop (and this guide) is an adaptation to OSU of the UW Libraries Research Data Management Planning Workshop.

Next workshops:

The next workshop will be Monday April 15th - Thursday April 18th, 2024. Register HERE.

Past workshops:

Winter 2021: Tuesday January 26th - Friday January 29th 2021. 

Spring 2021: Monday April 19th to Thursday April 22nd, 2021.

Summer 2021: Monday June 21st to Thursday June 24th, 2021. 

Fall 2021: Monday October 11th to Thursday October 14th, 2021. 

Winter 2022: Monday January 24th to Thursday January 27th, 2022.

Spring 2022: Monday April 25th to Thursday April 28th, 2022.

Summer 2022: Monday July 11th to Thursday July 14th, 2022.

Summer 2022: Monday August 22nd to Thursday August 25th, 2022.

Fall 2022: Monday October 10th to Thursday October 13th, 2022. 

Winter 2023: Monday January 30th to Thursday February 2nd, 2023.

Spring 2023: Monday April 24th to Thursday April 27th, 2023. 

Summer 2023: Monday July 10th to Thursday July 13th, 2023.

Duration

• The workshop lasts four days.
• The workshop  will be offered once a term, see the Registration section for the dates of the next workshop. 

Content

• The workshop will provide tips on how to construct an effective data management plan for your data and will provide information on tips and tools to help with your research data needs.
• By asking students to share experiences with one another, this workshop provides the space and opportunity for you to reflect on your skills and to see how various techniques and tools can be employed to help you build your data management plan and most effectively share and preserve your data.

Prerequisites

• There are no prerequisites.
• You will need internet access for each of the four days,
• You will need a valid ONID. 

Participation

• The workshop is asynchronous, there are no fixed participation times. 
• Participants should plan on spending one hour per day in each of the modules. There are four modules that include a topic overview, resources, activities, and peer discussion forums. 

Assessment

• Discussion forums are the workshop's primary means of assessment, so expect to post to forums daily. 
• There is no formal assessment, this workshop will not give you any official certification or title. 

Support

You will be guided through the course by a team of friendly librarian tutors, who will answer questions and provide feedback. 

Q. How much does it cost?

A. Nothing, the workshop is free.

Q. When will the next workshop take place?

A. We offer this workshop once a term, check under the Registration section to learn about next planned dates. 

Q. How do I know if this workshop is right for me?

A. This workshop is introductory. It is aimed to researchers or students who do not have a strong background on data management. Graduate students, postdocs, early career researchers, or senior researchers who want to learn more about data management are all invited to register. 

Q. The workshop was great, what can I do to learn more?

A. If you are a graduate student consider taking GRAD 521 Research Data Management, a 2-credit class offered via the Grad School. 

Q. My research is in the field of X. Is this workshop right for me?

A. Yes. This is an introductory course, and we will talk about general concepts. Throughout the course you will have opportunities to explore topics that are relevant to your field. 

Q. I am not an OSU member, can I participate?

A. Unfortunately not. You need to have an ONID to access the Canvas course. 

Q. What is the time commitment for this workshop?

A. A total of four hours. One hour per day, during four consecutive days. 

Q. Will this course help we write data management plans?

A. Yes, although this course is not exclusively about how to write a data management plan. To learn more about Data Management Plans also check this DMP guide. 

Q. What are the topics covered in this course?

A. The course is structured in four modules: 

1. basic data management concepts

2. data handling during a research project

3. what to do at a project’s completion

4. the “big picture,” covering the research lifecycle

Q. Data Management Plans for different funders are different. Which funders do you cover in this workshop?

A. We do not cover any specific funder. We have general information about data management plans, and the exercises will encourage you to look into DMP guidance from funders in your field.

Q. The registration page says "in person". Is this an in person course or an asynchronous online course?

A. It is NOT an in person course. Unfortunately the registration software we use has some limitations, and we cannot remove the "in person" tag. Sorry about the confusion!