Data management refers to the storage, access and preservation of data produced from a given investigation. Data management practices cover the entire lifecycle of the data, from planning the investigation to conducting it, and from backing up data as it is created and used to long term preservation of data deliverables after the research investigation has concluded (CASRAI-CA).
Research Data Lifecycle
The lifecycle of research data often exceeds the time span of the research project responsible for creating it. It is important that data are well managed and curated over the course of a research project in terms of their organization, description, and preservation, so that they can be reused in future research over the long term.
This video reviews the key stages of the research data lifecycle (UK Data Service).
Consider one of these recommended resources to learn more about research data management:
A comprehensive guide for Canadian researchers, which addresses the basics of data management plans, metadata and data organization, data storage and security, and data sharing and re-use.
A set of four online modules covering the basics of research data management, the research data lifecycle and current Canadian policy.
Self-directed online modules providing an introduction to research data, data management plans, organizing data, file formats and transformation, documentation and metadata, storage and security, and more.
An online guide directing researchers, IT specialists, and those in research support roles to a wide range of research data management resources, sorted according to topic and audience.
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