Data are a major asset of economic and social research - the basis for research and also the ultimate product of research. Research data quality and provenance then become paramount in underpinning subsequent sharing and secondary scientific use. As the UK's largest funder of research on economic and social issues, the ESRC has been at the forefront of promoting the culture of sharing the results and data of the research it funds. The ESRC considers that effective data management is an essential precondition for generating high quality reusable data. Researchers need to be armed with the knowledge and skills to ensure that the data they create and manage can be exploited to the maximum potential for further research. This book offers these skills in an approachable way.
-- Professor Paul Boyle, Chief Executive
This is a timely, comprehensive and really useful guide to good practice in the management and sharing of research data. It outlines the processes and practices needed to ensure the highest standards of data management and addresses the potential pitfalls of poor practice - from the importance of early planning, to the issues of confidentiality and consent, rights and permissions, and citation. Its great strength is the way it combines clear 'how to' case studies and checklists for action, with the rationale for action on each topic, addressing potential concerns and pitfalls. It should be required reading at the beginning - and end - of all research projects.
-- Jude England, Head of Social Sciences, The British Library
The breadth and depth of the cumulative expertise of the authors is evident throughout the sections of Managing and Sharing Research Data: A Guide to Good Practice that systematically highlight and address key trends and topics in research data management. The text is full of a rich combination of detailed examples, diagrams, exercises, and extensive references. As a result, the Guide simultaneously provides a practical handbook for getting on with research data management now, an instructional text for students and practitioners, a well-documented record of current practice that adds a valuable reference work to the literature of the community, and a roadmap for near-term and longer-term planning.
-- Dr. Nancy Y McGovern, Head of Curation and Preservation, MIT Libraries
At the heart of good research lies good data management practice. Corti and her co-authors give us a vivid and comprehensive account of the ins-and-outs of this vital professional skill, from managing and sharing data, understanding the data lifecycle and realistically costing data management, through documenting and organising data, to securing, preserving and reusing data while honouring ethical accountability and intellectual property considerations. Whether beginner or experienced professor, every researcher will find helpful up-to-data advice in the pages of Managing and Sharing Research Data, whose message is all the more important for hitherto receiving too little attention in the research curriculum. Coverage is extended by thought-provoking practical exercises, exemplars, case studies and a well-specified companion website. This book is a much-needed resource that will serve the field well.
-- Professor Nigel Fielding, Professor in Social Research Methodology, University of Surrey
This is the book we have been waiting for: a comprehensive guide to best practice in the essential work of preserving and sharing the data fundamentals necessary for modern, professional social science. The area is to a degree at the boundaries of standard research work and practitioners have to an extent been making it up as they go along; so, Louise Corti and her colleagues have done the wider research community a great service with this excellent guide. The exercises at the end of each chapter are useful learning points, and the chapter on publishing and citing research is particularly valuable in pushing the boundaries of best practice. -- Professor Peter Davis, Professor of Sociology and Criminology, University of Auckland
Corti et al have produced a great introductory text for researchers, librarians, and anyone involved in supporting the creation or reuse of research data. The team has extensive experience in issues surrounding the care and curation of a range of data, and put that experience to good effect in producing this guide.
The book offers concise chapters that cover essential information on research data management activities at all stages of the data lifecycle, and is suitable for quantitative and qualitative researchers either creating or reusing data. Chapters are supported by useful examples, case study illustrations, and reinforced by quizzes and exercises to get researchers and support services thinking about and implementing good data management practices.
-- Laurence Horton, Archive and Data Management Training Centre, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
The authors of Managing and Sharing Research Data all work at the Data Archive and collectively have a wealth of experience in the complex range of activities related to promoting, managing and facilitating data sharing... This guide sets out to help students, researchers, academics and research support staff through these processes and deals with documenting, formatting, storing and transferring data, as well as with legal and ethical issues, publication and citation.
-- Emily Grundy, Professor of Demography at the London School of Economics
This book fills a gap in the market and will, I'm sure, be read by researchers in any discipline where data management skills are needed. I would recommend this book without hesitation. Well written, informative and, with its commitment to transparency and data sharing, commendable. -- Paul Webb, research officer, Praxis Care, Belfast
Managing and Sharing Research Data: A Guide to Good Practice is a solid introduction to best practices for collecting, storing and disseminating data that is intended to be shared with other researchers. While the book is written with social scientists in mind, it is a very useful resource for the sharing of clinical research data in the new era of transparency. -- Norman M. Goldfarb, Managing Director of First Clinical Research LLC
The book represents an excellent textbook resource for researchers at any stage of their career who are keen to share their research evidence and materials. The authors have clear and demonstrated technical expertise in this area and the book is packed with useful and practical advice covering all stages of the research process. -- Tom Clemens
