Queen’s University Library is launching a third round of the Research Data Management (RDM) Survey to solicit feedback from the Faculty of Health Sciences community.

On Monday Jan. 16, faculty members, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be asked about RDM practices of sharing and managing research data and to how the library might help facilitate data management activities on campus. 

This initiative is part of Portage’s Canadian RDM Survey Consortium, a group of several universities working together to gain a richer understanding of RDM practices and required support services, particularly in light of upcoming changes to funding requirements around data sharing, data preservation and the submission of data management plans. 

Last fall Queen’s University Library conducted the initial survey looking for insights from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, as well as several departments in the Faculty of Arts and Science including Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography and Planning, Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, and the School of Environmental Studies. This data, report, and documentation are now available for download from Scholars Portal Dataverse.

“Our findings provide valuable insights into the volumes of information researchers are dealing with, and into RDM services that the Queen’s research community is interested in,” says Tatiana Zaraiskaya, Public Service e-Science Librarian. “One of the most interesting findings of this survey was the extent to which respondents expressed interest in training and support for data management. Best practices and standards are key, and on the data front, library data services are well-positioned to provide and promote these to researchers. ”

This past summer, a revised version of the RDM survey was administered in the Faculty of Arts and Science (Humanities and Social Sciences), Smith School of Business, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Education, and the School of Policy Studies. Data analysis and report writing are now underway.

Queen's University Library provides RDM services to support researchers in meeting grant requirements, producing more competitive grant applications, and increasing the impact and visibility of researchers’ work. RDM services encourages long-term preservation of data and ensures compliance with ethics and privacy policies. The library encourages researchers to get in touch with an RDM specialist using the form on their website.

The library will continue to share survey updates. Anyone with questions is asked to contact the Research Data Management Survey Team.