Resources

Data Management Plans (DMPs) are an important part of the research data lifecycle. DMPs provide a summary of what a researcher will do with their data during and after a given project. Although all researchers benefit from creating DMPs, DMPs are increasingly required for grant proposal submissions.

For assistance creating a DMP:

• Utilize the DMPTool with funder and institution-specific templates
• Schedule a consultation
• Read more on our DMP guide page

For assistance finding and accessing a wide range of data for a research project, see our complete guide to research data access resources. This guide provides information on analytic tools as well as databases and repositories covering government and Utah data, the social sciences, humanities, business, sciences, math and engineering, health, and more!

For additional help and specific questions, schedule a consultation.

Organizing research data includes file naming and organization along with metadata and data descriptions. Our guide for data curation provides ample information to get you started.

For additional help:

• View this introduction to file management training virtually
• Read about discipline-specific metadata
• Schedule a consultation

The library and other campus resources provide a wide variety of data management tools.

DMPTool is available through single sign on with your Utah email and is a powerful tool to create data management plans with funder and institution specific templates and guidance. You can also request a review of your DMP from us directly in the tool.

• The Center for High Performance Computing provides access to virtual machines for researchers as well as other tools and resources.
• Tropy is free online tool for file management.
• The knowledge commons provides access to data analysis and visualization software, as well as trainings on these tools.
• A list of books available through the library to learn data analysis skills can be found here.

There are several options for storing your research data at the University of Utah:

• Research data that is not restricted may be stored on your Utah google cloud account, U Box or OneDrive, per ISO.
• Storage space is also available through the Center for High Performance Computing, with the option of using their protected environment for sensitive and restricted data.
• LabArchives is a general-purpose electronic lab notebook (ELN) for research groups on campus. See the complete guide for LabArchives here.

For additional information on research data storage, schedule a consultation.

In accordance with emerging funder requirements and legislation, some research data is now subject to sharing and retention requirements. Whether or not these requirements apply, preserving research data is a key step in the research data lifecycle. We have serveral options on campus as well as externally for preserving and sharing research data:

• The Hive is the University’s institutional repository. This is a free and expedited option for researchers looking to share their data and preserve it for at least 5 years. Limitations of The Hive include file sizes and a requirement to share data under a creative commons license. For additional information, see the about page or contact us.
• The Center for High Performance Computing provides storage for preservation at a cost, but provides ample scalability and the option of a protected environment.
  A multitude of general and domain-specific respositories are also available outside of the Unviersity, including options like the State of Utah Open Data Catalog.
• For help navigating your options, see our repository selection, see our decision tree here to walk through the selection process and key considerations.

For additional information or help selecting a preservation and sharing location, see our guide or schedule a consultation.

Many scholarly publishers offer researchers persistent URLs in the form of DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers). These URLs provide a permanent link to scholarship. The Marriott Library is offering graduate students and faculty the ability to create their own persistent identifiers. The library offers DOIs and ARKs (Archival Resource Keys) through the EZID service from the California Digital Library. For more information about DOIs and ARKs, please read EZID’s guide to understanding identifiers.

DOI minting for datasets is available to researchers here. DOIs are also generated on your behalf when data is deposited in the Hive.

For additional information on DOIs, please see this guide.

We provide consultations on activities and considerations throughout the research data lifecycle, including:

• Data management and sharing plans
• Accessing research data online
• Data analysis and visualization
• Research data curation and file organization
• Storing research data
• Handling sensitive data
• Sharing and preserving research data

Email us a mlib-data@lists.utah.edu to request a consultation.

A list and description of key legislation can be found on our policies and guidelines guide.

Pertinent policies from the University of Utah regarding research data can be found here.

Please see the VPR’s website for additional information.

Marriott library’s research data management librarians are available for small group trainings and program workshops covering a variety of topics, including:

• Research Data Management basics
• Introduction to FAIR and Open Science
• File naming and management
• Preparing data for sharing, preservation, and reuse
• Data documentation
• Ethical data visualization practices
• Data visualization with Tableau

Please contact us to request a training or workshop for your group or program.

For upcoming trainings and workshops, please see our events page.

Our research data management guides cover all aspects of research data management and link to key resources for researchers. Some additional resources include:

• REd courses are available through the VPR office and cover data management topics. They even offer a Research Data Management Certificate.
• DELPHI and Data Carpentries courses are another excellend educational resource with data-related workshops.
• The Center for High Performance Computing also offers regular training sessions.