Starting the Conversation: University-wide Research Data Management Policy

Starting the Conversation: University-wide Research Data Management Policy is a call for action that summarizes the benefits of systemic data management planning and identifies the stakeholders and their concerns. It also suggests that the library director proactively initiate a conversation among these stakeholders to get buy-in for a high-level, responsible data planning and management policy that is proactive, rather than reactive.

The Stakeholders identified in the report include:

– The University
– The Office of Research
– The Research Compliance Office
– The Information Technology Department
– The Researchers
– The Academic Units
– The Library

The report addresses the various topics that should be discussed and includes a checklist of issues to help the discussion result in a supportable and sustainable policy.

Suggested elements of the conversation include:

– Who owns the data?
– What Requirements are Imposed By Others?
– Which Data Should Be Retained?
– For How Long Should Data Be Maintained?
– How Should Digital Data Be Preserved?
– Are there Ethical Considerations?
– How are Data Accessed?
– How Open Should the Data Be?
– How Will Costs Be Managed?
– What are the Alternatives to Local Data Management?