LEARN Toolkit of Best Practice for Research Data Management

Through the analysis of best practices and practical use cases, LEARN gathers successful experiences in research data management to help institutions and organizations develop policies and identify solutions that have already been implemented with good results in other institutions, as well as providing a research data management policy model and an assessment tool for the policy implementation phase.

The RDM Toolkit (Toolkit of Best Practice for Research Data Management) was developed within the European LEARN project (LEaders Activating Research Networks), funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020 (Grant Agreement 654139). The LEARN project ran from June 2015 to May 2017; although it has ended, the Toolkit remains available as a reference resource.

The project was led and coordinated by University College London (UCL) (UCL Library Services), and involved an international consortium comprising the University of Barcelona (UB), the University of Vienna (UNIVIE), LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-ECLAC / ECLAC).

Research data are a valuable asset in the information society. At the same time, these data are growing exponentially, making their management, dissemination, reuse, and long-term preservation increasingly challenging. To support organizations in developing policies that address different research data management needs, LEARN provides a toolkit that includes 23 case studies of best practices in data management; eight sections covering, among other areas, policy and leadership, open data, legal aspects, and costs; a research data management policy model; and more than 20 recommendations for research data management developed in Europe.

LEARN also offers recommendations and policy templates based on core (fundamental) elements, a list of implementation indicators to assess the level achieved in applying the research data management model, and guidance for developing an organization’s own research data management policy.

Institutions and researchers are the main stakeholder groups, as they play an active role both in developing policies and in their practical implementation. Society as a whole will benefit from the scientific advances that can result from sharing research data openly (reuse, research integrity, etc.).

This document has the advantage of being directly applicable to the development of an institution’s own research data management policies, supported by the proposed case studies, which can serve as guidance for other institutions. In addition to the case studies, it provides a research data management policy model for research institutions, so they do not have to start from scratch.

The inclusion of an assessment test and a set of indicators to evaluate the degree of implementation and development of research data management policies also makes it easier for institutions to assess their practical application and to propose corrective actions where needed. Although the project concluded in 2017, the document and its materials are still accessible and can be applied directly to develop or improve research data management policies.

Some of the best practices included in this toolkit argue that the main challenges revolve around four key areas:

• The technological tools and infrastructures needed to store, share, and preserve data.
• Cultural change and incentive systems so that data sharing is seen as valuable and is properly recognized and rewarded.
• Promoting training in data analysis and research data management to build and strengthen the necessary skills and competencies across the research community.
• Policies and governance frameworks must ensure that data are handled ethically and fairly, maintaining society’s trust.

The best-practice cases analysed and presented have been grouped into sections. They showcase successful examples from different institutions in various European countries, whose research data management policies were developed following recommendations from organizations such as the Wellcome Trust or GO FAIR, and whose implementation has been successfully achieved.

For each case described, the toolkit provides useful information that can guide other institutions in developing their own research data management policies, helping them avoid common mistakes and highlighting the elements that can make implementation successful—and therefore a potential advantage for the institution.

• LEARN Toolkit of Best Practice for Research Data Management: http://learn-rdm.eu/wp-content/uploads/RDMToolkit.pdf
• LEARN Project: https://learn-rdm.eu