Research data can include any physical material and digital data that form the basis of the research, such as notebooks, interviews, texts and literature, digital raw data, recordings, specimens and computer code, as well as the detailed records of these materials and data that comprise the basis for the analysis underlying the results.
When collecting or creating data it is important to consider the type, format and volume of data, whether the chosen formats and software enable sharing and long-term access to the data, and whether there are any existing data that you can reuse. File formats can be proprietary or open. Open formats should be preferred to ensure long-term readability.
You might also consider the standards or methodologies you use, how you will structure and name your folders and files, how you will handle versioning, and what quality assurance processes you will adopt. It is important to adopt a consistent file naming convention, e.g. based on date, time, and subject and this should also be reflected in the file directory structure.
To avoid data loss and unauthorized access during the research process, you will need a secure data storage platform. Do not trust your laptop hard drive or USB drives. Roskilde University network drives are secure and regularly backed up, but sharing cannot be controlled. The university also offers Microsoft OneDrive as an option, but the data on OneDrive are not stored in-house which in some cases may be a problem. Consult RUC's guidelines above to find out where to save, store and/or share your files, incl. your research data. To access the document as pdf, click here (requires RUC login).
Please contact RUC Digital Services via eScience Services at RUC's serviceportal (requires RUC login) for more information on storage facilities at RUC.
When research data involves personal data, you need to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It is necessary to obtain permission to process personal data, and, if so wished, to share. If there are external rights-holders to research data, you need to clarify whether approval must be obtained. Finally, the ethics framework for research must be considered.
Consent forms and other GDPR related information from RUC (requires RUC login)
Google Drive, DropBox and other public file sharing systems should not be used for research data storage. This especially applies if personal data are involved.