Research data management encompasses many parts of the data lifecycle, including planning, organizing, collecting, and storing research data. Check out Temple University Libraries’ Research Data Management guide for detailed information and contact the Research Data Services team via the links to the right if you have questions or would like to schedule a consultation. 

A data management plan can be a useful guide throughout the research process for describing the data collection and management procedures you have established, for addressing ethical and intellectual property issues, and for capturing information important for data sharing and reproducibility.  Additionally, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and many large private funders require short data management plans (DMPs) with every grant application.  

You can use the DMPTool to create a data management plan that meets the requirements of a specific funder. The DMPTool provides templates and links to information on Temple data storage options and policies. See our short demonstration video on How to Use the DMPTool, and our self-paced online tutorial on Using the DMPTool to learn how to access and use the DMPTool to create data management plans.

The research data services team can review and provide feedback on data management plans submitted for a grant application via the feedback button in the DMP or via email at tul-rds@temple.edu.

Choosing a storage option appropriate for your needs and backing up your files will help ensure that your data will be there when you need it.  For best practices on storing and backing up data, see Storage on the Temple University Library’s Research data management guide.

Storage comparison chart from Temple University Information Technology Services (ITS)

For clinical research, consider capturing and storing your data in Temple’s iteration of REDCap, a web-based application that offers researchers a lot of functionality and a variety of options for data capture, including direct data entry, data uploads and automatic surveys sent to participants, all within a secure, HIPAA-compliant system.

To learn more about REDCap, contact Research and Data Services Librarian Will Dean, attend a workshop, or see REDCap information available from the Temple Clinical Research Institute.

Use the OSF platform to organize and control access to research files stored in various locations.  You can create individual or collaborative projects, set access permissions to files, and pre-register your research.  OSF supports both private or public projects. To learn more about the Open Science Framework, contact us at tul-rds@temple.edu, attend a workshop or view osf.io.

TUScholarShare is the Library’s institutional repository for data sharing.

Research data management guide from the Temple University Libraries

Checklist for a Data Management Plan from the Digital Curation Centre in the U.K.