Poster from University of Arizona 2016 IT Summit / Are you or the researchers you work with writing a grant proposal that requires a data management plan? Are you working on a research project and have questions about how to effectively and efficiently manage your research data? Are you interested in sharing your data with other researchers? We can help! For the past several years, the University of Arizona (UA) Libraries, in collaboration with the Office of Research and Discovery and the University Information Technology Services, has been providing data management services and resources to the campus. We are interested in tailoring our services and resources to what you need. We conducted a research data management survey in 2014 and are currently working on the Data Management and Data Curation and Publication (DMDC) pilot. This poster will describe what data management and curation services we are currently providing, and ask for your feedback on potential new data management services and resources.

Because of the importance of Research Data Management (RDM) in the life sciences, where vast amounts of research data in different complex formats are being produced, this study aimed to assess the state of RDM readiness in the life sciences at Wits to ascertain what support is needed with regards to RDM. In order to achieve the aim, the current RDM practices and needs of researchers, as well as the challenges they face, were investigated. The Jisc Research Data Lifecycle (Jisc, 2021a) was used to guide the literature review, frame data collection, analyse data and advise on some of the main findings and recommendations. A mixed methods approach and an explanatory sequential design were used to achieve the research objectives. For the quantitative phase of research, an online questionnaire was used to collect data. As the total target population (282) was not big, a census was conducted. The questionnaire was administered using SurveyMonkey software. During the qualitative part of the research, semi-structured interviews were used to explain the quantitative results. Five participants were purposively sampled to take part in interviews. The statistical package, MS Excel, was used to analyse quantitative data whilst qualitative data were analysed by thematic analysis. The study showed that life sciences researchers at Wits have adopted many RDM practices, and researchers are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of the openness of data. However, they are dealing with similar RDM issues as their peers worldwide. Results highlighted challenges of, amongst others, the lack of an RDM policy as well as the lack of, or unawareness of, appropriate RDM training and support at Wits. As formal implementation of RDM still needs to take place at Wits, it is recommended that Wits puts an RDM policy in place, followed by suitable RDM infrastructure and awareness making of current services.