Research data management by academics and researchers: Perceptions, knowledge and practices

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate research data management RDM) activities undertaken by academics, researchers, and research students at Nanyang Technological University Singapore. An online questionnaire was used and 241 respondents participated in this study. It was found that most of research data produced were in MS Office (text, spreadsheet, presentation) format, images, and structured statistical data. In addition to generating own research data, over one-half of the respondents were using data produced by other team members. They were storing their research data in their personal storage devices and assigning certain additional information to their files for fast and accurate retrieval. Overall, the respondents exhibited a positive attitude towards collaborative research and data sharing although a majority of them preferred data sharing with their own team members. The major concerns expressed for sharing research data were legal and ethical issues, data misuse, and misinterpretation of data. A majority of the respondents showed interest in attending research data management training. The paper suggests certain measures for promoting research data management by academics and researchers.