Re-using data?
Creating data from scratch can be costly and complicated. Whether you’re aiming to save time and money, expand a small sample size, ask new questions of a body of information, or reproduce someone else’s results, re-using existing data is an integral part of research. Finding the right data and making use of it, however, can be a challenge.
- Know your source. Finding a repository of data relevant to your discipline can be difficult, but re3data.org, a global registry of data repositories, can help you locate subject-specific data sources and determine whether they are appropriate for you.
- Cite data sources. Citing data sources is just as important as citing journal articles, books, or other resources you make use of to produce your research. It allows researchers to locate and repurpose data, promotes reproducibility, and allows you to give and get credit for data products: increasingly viewed as scholarly output in their own right.
- Ask for guidance. Find your subject specialist for help locating existing data sets relevant to your research question.
Creating data from scratch?
Blanket recommendations are tricky because every project is so different, but if you are producing or collecting your own data consider the following:
- Test your plan. Think through your data collection strategy from start to finish and consider a pilot run. This will highlight any issues with your tools or instruments and help ensure that you can process any data you produce.
- Automate. Avoid unnecessary data entry later on by using built-in features in your capture devices to document as you go. Just make sure you understand and keep track of any preprocessing that might be happening behind the scenes.
- Create snapshots. At the very least, be sure to keep secure and backed-up copies of your data in their rawest form (prior to cleaning or processing). You may also want to save snapshots of your datasets at various stages of processing.
- Ensure compliance. Make sure that your project complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and UT policies.
