Managing data

Managing research data well enhances the scientific process, ensures high quality data and increases the longevity of data and with it the opportunities for data to be archived, shared and re-used. Managing data well means that they are properly organised and looked after and their quality and integrity is controlled.

Detailed guidance on data management is available in the create and manage data section of the UK Data Archive web site. A summary of key data management guidelines is available in the Managing and Sharing Data guide. The data management checklist points to pertinent key issues.

• the ethical aspects of managing and archiving potentially confidential data in research with people
• gaining informed consent for data to be archived, when data result from research with people
• enabling archiving of confidential data through anonymisation of data
• quality control of data
• illustrating and describing data well with documentation and metadata to ensure that they can be understood, interpreted and used by other researchers
• transcription of qualitative data using the UK Data Archive guidelines
• using suitable data formats, especially for long-term preservation
• ensuring authenticity and version control of data
• backing-up data and files
• using appropriate data storage
• adequate security and controlled access to data

Data management applies equally to quantitative (numerical, tabular) and qualitative data (textual data, transcripts, recordings, photographs).