CRUK: Managing your Research Data

How much data would you lose if your laptop was stolen? Have you ever emailed your colleague a file named 'final_final_versionEDITED'? Have you ever struggled to import your spreadsheets into R? Would you be able to write a Data Management Plan as part of a grant proposal?

As a researcher, you will encounter research data in many forms, ranging from measurements, numbers and images to documents and publications. Whether you create, receive or collect data, you will certainly need to organise it at some stage of your project. This workshop will provide an overview of some basic principles on how we can work with data more effectively. We will discuss the best practices for research data management and organisation so that our research is auditable and reproducible by ourselves, and others, in the future.

Course materials are available here

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book or register your interest by linking here.

• Graduate students, Postdocs and Staff members from the University of Cambridge, Affiliated Institutions and other external Institutions or individuals
• Please be aware that these courses are only free for registered University of Cambridge students. All other participants will be charged a registration fee in some form. Registration fees and further details regarding the charging policy are available here.
• Further details regarding eligibility criteria are available here

No previous experience required

Number of sessions: 1

Bioinformatics

After this course you should be able to:

• Select an appropriate backup strategy for your data
• Organise your files in a more structured and consistent manner
• Avoid common pitfalls in spreadsheet manipulation
• Know what resources are available at The University of Cambridge for Research Data Management

During this course you will learn about:

• The basic concepts of creating a Data Management Plan
• Options for backing up your computer
• Ideas for naming and organising your files
• Strategies for exchanging files with collaborators
• Tips and tricks to make sure that your spreadsheets are readable by programming languages such as R
• Learn how to use the OpenRefine software for data cleaning

Presentations and practicals

• Free for registered University of Cambridge students
• £ 50/day for all University of Cambridge staff, including postdocs, temporary visitors (students and researchers) and participants from Affiliated Institutions. Please note that these charges are recovered by us at the Institutional level
• It remains the participant's responsibility to acquire prior approval from the relevant group leader, line manager or budget holder to attend the course. It is requested that people booking only do so with the agreement of the relevant party as costs will be charged back to your Lab Head or Group Supervisor.
• £ 50/day for all other academic participants from external Institutions and charitable organizations. These charges must be paid at registration
• £ 100/day for all Industry participants. These charges must be paid at registration
• Further details regarding the charging policy are available here

0.5

Several times a year