By robin | May 2, 2007
The RIN (Research Information Network) has recently published a draft consultation paper - Stewardship of digital research data: a framework of principles and guidelines (April 2007) and are seeking feedback from practitioners.
The draft discusses the shared framework of principles and guidelines required for key stakeholders (researchers, research institutions, funding bodies, libraries, data managers, learned societies and publishers) in order to maximise the potential benefits of digital research data and to help ensure that ‘ideas and knowledge derived from publicly-funded research should be made available and accessible for public use, interrogation, and scrutiny, as widely, rapidly and effectively as practicable.’
In addition to a collaborative approach the paper highlights the need to make explicit the roles and responsibilities of the key players in the research and research communications processes whilst remaining sensitive to: the needs of the researcher; the context in which the research is conducted; the requirements of different kinds of research data (words, numbers, pictures, sound); how the data were generated (purpose and process) and by whom.
RIN believes there are 5 principles reflecting the research data lifecycle which should be adopted by universities, colleges, research institutions and funding bodies, namely:
Roles and responsibilities – collaborative codes of practice
Standards and quality assurance – creation and collection in accordance with international standards
Access, usage and credit – easy to find and easy to use
Benefits and cost effectiveness – efficient data management and access
Preservation and sustainability – accessibility for current and future generations
To read the full draft paper visit: http://www.rin.ac.uk/data-principles. Please send any comments to Stephane Goldstein (Stephane.goldstein@rin.ac.uk) by 29 June 2007.
- Stuart Macdonald