Data management

If you have ever wondered if you have research data, the answer is probably yes! Research data not only includes the things that immediately come to mind, like tables of numbers or GIS files, but also images, text, audio and video, and a variety of other kinds of digital objects that people use for research.

Managing your data, both the data files themselves and the documentation that goes with it, is an important part of the research process. If you start thinking about how you are going to create, store, process, and analyze your data from the beginning, it will be much easier to publish and share it when you need to. The Research Data Librarian at the Tisch Library is available to provide support and guidance for you and/or your research group at every step of your project.

Our services

We can help you:

  • Write your data management plan (DMP)
  • Find places to store your data and share it within your group
  • Use collaboration tools like Box and the Open Science Framework
  • Learn new data science skills and connect with other campus specialists
  • Evaluate your current data management strategies and organize your files to make them easier to use
  • Think through database structures for your research projects
  • Share your data with your published articles

Contact Elizabeth McCall for questions or assistance in any of these areas.

Metadata services

Metadata is information about the context, content, quality, provenance, and/or accessibility of a set of data. In order for your data to be accessible to you, your colleagues, and other researchers, it must be properly documented. Metadata is:

  • Frequently required for depositing a data set in disciplinary repositories, or for publishing in a research journal;
  • Necessary for the longevity and reproducibility of research data;
  • Useful for analyzing the data in data files.

If you are seeking to organize your personal library, experiment with linked data in your digital scholarship or work with metadata in a variety of other ways, library staff can help.  We can work with you to define a metadata strategy and/or direct you towards tools and standards to help create metadata that will be usable in a broader context. We offer:

  • Extensive expertise in metadata applications.
  • Consultation and project planning.
  • Development and implementation of metadata schemes and standards.
  • Creation of best practices that will enhance searching and retrieval of your resources.
  • Production services for digital objects that will save your project time and money.

Contact Tisch Library Metadata Services Department for more information.