Searching and finding my own research data is taking a lot of effort. Can you help me?

Organizing your research data can be a major challenge. We are happy to help you develop a strategy that makes it easier for you to find what you need – whether your data is stored in a notebook, on a hard drive, or on your network.

I am worried that data will be lost during staff turnover. How can I prevent that?

Staff turnover is common in research and academia. Since often each researcher is responsible for their own data, keeping everything together can be a challenge. We're happy to help you establish a sustainable system for storing the data of your research group. Take a look at our pages on Coscine and electronic lab notebooks. 

I save my data in Excel spreadsheets. Is this sufficient?

This depends on your situation.

Data analysis: While you are actively analysing your data, Excel might be the most convenient place to do so. However, Excel file formats change regularly, which might mean that you will no longer have access to your data years later. As file formats change over time, as is the case with Excel, not everyone might be able to read the relevant files in all cases. Therefore, the use of comma-separated formats (.csv) is best suited for exchanging and archiving data.

Spreadsheet programmes vs. databases: If you maintain various fields for your data sets and would like to search for complex combinations of those fields, spreadsheets might not be the best solution. You can use a simple database that includes a more sophisticated search function. We can help you decide whether this is necessary for your purposes. We can also help you set up a simple database.

Do I have to use metadata?

Metadata is information that describes your data. For example, if you do laboratory research, you have probably been collecting metadata in a lab notebook: Who conducted the experiment? When was the experiment conducted? What are the findings from the experiment? Which samples were used? What were the conditions of the experiment? And so on.

Metadata is important for anyone – including yourself – who would like to understand and/or use your data in the future. Imagine a file with 40 columns and 7000 rows of numbers that only contains cryptic abbreviations for headers, or a folder with numerous images that are only designated as ‘IMG_2764’ – such data is not helpful to anyone because it lacks documentation and context.

Consistent, standardised terminology clearly specifies what you mean and facilitates, for example, the search for specific information among numerous data sets and the automated processing of large volumes of data.

I would like to integrate data management skills into my syllabus. Can you assist me?

We believe that it is never too early to start applying proper data management. We will gladly give advice on how you can include advanced data management methods in your syllabus and, if you want us to, we will also visit you in class. Feel free to contact us to discuss details.

Dp I have to share or publish my data?

That depends, for example, on the requirements of your third party funding, on your supervisor, and on your data. Carefully check the policies of your funding institution. Larger projects (such as CRCs) often have a Data Policy to regulate data sharing. We are happy to help you find out to what extent such policies and regulations impact your research project.

Even if there are no formal requirements, you should consider sharing and/or publishing any research data that support your published papers or that could potentially be reused by others, including software code. That way, you can make a contribution to transparent and reproducible research as well as gain additional visibility for your findings.

How can I publish my research data?

Use a repository to publish your data.

How can I share data with my project partners?

Depending on the requirements if your research, Sciebo or Coscine may be suitable. Both are collaborative tools for various use cases.

I do not know whether I can publish my data because it contains sensitive data or because I have made an agreement with my external funding provider (licence agreement). Is that a problem?

Funding institutions understand that certain sensitive data cannot be shared. You should give reasons why you cannot share some or all of your data in your data management plan.

Do I own the copyright on my data?

Copyright in Germany (Urheberrecht) only protects the form of a work, not its content. Therefore, the copyright only applies to the manner in which the data is presented. If it is presented in writing or graphically, the texts and images can be protected by copyright. The findings and data themselves, on the other hand, are not protected. The same is true for ideas, methods and doctrines as these are free and thus not protected by any copyrights – unless they are patented technological inventions or protected utility models.

Moreover, a minimum level of individuality and novelty must be achieved in order to attain the threshold of originality. This is a prerequisite for a copyright to apply. Case histories, questionnaires/responses and descriptions of experiments are therefore generally not covered by copyright.

Nonetheless, it is recommended to initially treat research data as if it were in need of protection in accordance with the German copyright law (Urheberrechtsgesetz) as the intellectual effort required for it to apply may be given in some cases. However, this can only be determined by assessing each individual case.

Please find further information on the topic of copyright in the field of research data here.

Am I allowed to publish my data?

The publication of data may be prohibited under specific circumstances. The most important prerequisite for publishing data is that you have comprehensive ownership rights to the data. Furthermore, there is data that must be treated confidentially, e.g. personal data. For such data to be published, the data subjects must give their consent and the data may have to be anonymised.

Who else has a right to make decisions regarding the sharing or publication of data?

In research, you do not always work on your own. In such cases, you must be aware that co-researchers, your employer, the project initiator, your research sponsor or contractual partners in the private sector may have rights to your data. The contractual situation defines who has to be involved in decisions on the sharing or publication of data.

Do I have control over the further use of my data by third parties?

Many aspects of use, such as the form and manner of use, can only be regulated by means of relevant contracts. The use of standardised licences such as Creative Commons or Open Data Commons is suitable for this purpose.

Which licences are there and which should I use?

Before selecting a license, the following should be considered:

• Is the data to be licensed protectable at all?
• Is the use of a specific license mandatory, or is there a recommendation, e.g., from the research funding agency?

There are various license models to choose from. In its guidelines for handling research data, the UDE refers to the use of open licenses. Creative Commons licenses are well suited for this purpose, as they are the most widely used and therefore easy to use.

Creative Commons licenses are suitable for most types of research data. Software is an exception. Specific software licenses are more suitable for this, e.g., the GNU General Public License (GPL). An overview of software licenses can be found here. The Public License Selector helps you choose a suitable software license.

What must be taken into consideration with regard to employment contracts?

Employment contracts should include clauses stating that the contracting parties grant their future employer at least basic rights of use of the data generated as part of their research activities. The rights and types of use must be explicitly specified in this context.