This report examines practices regarding data management and the use of IT services for research at the Faculty of Social Sciences. It maps the awareness and use of IT services for the collection, processing, analysis, high-performance computing, storage, sharing, and archiving of research data, as well as UiO's support services consisting of research advisors, data managers, contacts for data protection, IT support, and library services. For many researchers, navigating this landscape is challenging, and the report presents ten recommendations to strengthen information and training, better connect researchers with internal expertise, and improve the faculty's strategic efforts and compliance related to data management.
Executive summary
This report investigates research data management practices with the aim of recommending asustainable organization of support services at the faculty, as outlined in the Strategy for Research Infrastructure 2022-2030. The project has mapped and analysed data management practices and the use of IT services at the faculty through a survey targeting scientific staff, complemented by interviews. With a response rate of 37%, the survey provides a solid foundation for understanding current practices across all research phases: data collection and production, data storage and database structure, analysis and high-performance computing, and data archiving and sharing. The most prevalent data types include interviews, surveys, public statistics, text, and registry data, as well as health data at PSI. The significant volume of
personal data, including sensitive data, requires secure, flexible, and often powerful storage and compute services. Researchers rely heavily on IT UiO’s technical solutions, with Services for Sensitive Data (TSD) being the primary storage solution for sensitive data, and Nettskjema being a key tool for survey data.
Researchers engage in collaborative research practices, but many find compliance related to data sharing challenging. More guidance is needed particularly for sensitive data, bothregarding data agreements, and digital services for data sharing, storing and archiving. There is a strong commitment to archiving research data primarily for reuse, transparency, and reproducibility, and many call for support in completing data management plans (DMP) and guidance on issues like metadata management and anonymizing qualitative data.
The report underscores the complexity of the available support for research data management at UiO, involving various actors, such as IT services, library staff, data managers, and research advisers. This intricate web of support is essential for implementing best practices in data management and fostering a culture of open science. However, many researchers struggle to navigate this landscape, particularly regarding awareness of advanced IT tools, services, and support offered by central services.
Insights from the survey reveal distinct target groups across the faculty, necessitating tailored support. First, early adopters actively test new technologies but still require guidance to effectively navigate available resources. This need has been well met by the project adviser, who served as a faculty-level facilitator, as highlighted in several use cases throughout the report. Second, some researchers with advanced technological skills collaborate closely with IT UiO to develop tools, necessitating support staff coordination to address their development needs. Finally, many researchers need basic digital skills to use tools effectively, requiring readily available information about relevant tools as well as tailored training. Therefore, the organization must recognize varying competence levels across units and provide tailored
support accordingly.
While possibly reflecting a collaborative collegial environment, researchers’ tendency to seek peer advice rather than support staff carries risks, including reliance on outdated information or misconceptions about available tools and services. Coupled with a significant disparity in knowledge among researchers, this has two major implications. First, researchers may miss opportunities presented by new and powerful digital tools. Second, they might lack sufficient knowledge about legal and institutional requirements, leading to non-compliant data management practices. Findings in this report confirm that tailored subject-specific IT support as well as strengthening compliance for handling personal data is required, while hands-on
support by local data managers is essential for some environments.
Units that handle a high volume of personal, and especially sensitive, data allocate more administrative resources to compliance work. At PSI this has been instrumental for improving storage solutions like TSD. Others have dedicated resources to develop IT services, exemplified by the hub-node SURVEY at ISV. These collaborations with IT UiO underscore the importance of investing local resources to enhance UiO services. In return, technical competence is strengthened at local level.
Findings underscore the value of proactive facilitation by advisers or data managers in
cultivating a robust data management culture. These individuals can act as facilitators, points of contact, and problem solvers, fostering collaboration with IT UiO to address researchers’ needs. Such liaisons are pivotal in developing existing IT tools and suggesting improvements to better align with research requirements. Support staff should possess both technical IT skills and subject-specific knowledge to articulate requests effectively and connect researchers with in-house experts at IT UiO or other central resources.
The perceived value and need for data management support are shaped by the type of research data, its volume and sensitivity, and the nature and complexity of researchers’ collaborative efforts. The development of technical and administrative data management support at some units indicates that researchers require assistance with compliance with laws and regulations.
Data managers can play a vital role in enhancing the quality and compliance of research data management. Given that researchers maintain significant ownership of their data and often handle data management tasks themselves, the integration of subject-specific expertise and IT skills becomes crucial. While compliance with legal and regulatory requirements can often be addressed through increased administrative resources, dedicated data managers are essential for handling tasks in data-driven collaborative projects that are closely aligned with researchers’ needs. These tasks may include building and maintaining robust databases, ensuring systematic data collection and storage, and addressing challenges related to sensitive data
management. As demonstrated by PSI, employing dedicated data managers can lead to more effective and organized data management practices, contributing to better compliance and optimized use of digital tools. However, as long as such expertise and support depend on external funding, there remains an inherent vulnerability in the organization of data management support.
Fostering networked collaboration across units and levels could enhance both compliance efforts and subject-specific IT support. This approach could mitigate risks while optimizing the use of current local resources for training and the strategic initiatives of the faculty.
The survey highlighted the need for better training of researchers on IT services, particularly introductory workshops on TSD, Educloud Research, NREC, and HPC services tailored to their research needs. Furthermore, researchers expressed a strong interest in enhancing and tailoring existing tools to better respond to their requirements, such as integrating components like Nvivo Cloud into TSD, when provided the opportunity. The project adviser frequently assisted researchers with specific challenges and effectively facilitated the testing of new features and IT tools. In many cases, a local contact point who possess a combination of subject expertise and IT competence may suffice to direct researchers to the appropriate
experts at central level, rather than building local expertise. Stronger coordination at faculty level would optimize resource utilization and benefit all, facilitating communication and building IT competencies among staff.
Strengthening compliance may be achieved with enhanced local administrative support and improved coordination and integration of training on data management and open science. While general courses offered by the DSC see low engagement from faculty researchers, departments facilitating in-house training report higher attendance from students and PhD candidates. DSC staff provide customized courses, allowing for better use of their expertise to benefit the faculty.
Departments might consider making data management training compulsory for specific datatypes or targeted groups, such as supervisors, PhD candidates, and students.
Given the anticipated increase in data-driven collaborative research in the coming years, building robust support and services for research data management and open science is vital. Against this background, the project concludes with ten recommendations aimed at strengthening information and training, better connecting researchers with in-house expertise, and enhancing the faculty’s strategic and compliance efforts related to research data management.
- Enhance local resources to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, particularly with respect to personal data protection, privacy and security in research data.
- Mandate the use of Forskpro as a monitoring tool for all research projects to ensure comprehensive and updated records of data management plans and data agreements.
- Foster collaboration between the faculty and the DSC to enhance the visibility and integration of general data management training and guidance.
- Implement compulsory training workshops on data security and privacy, data management, and IT services, utilizing the expertise of IT UiO and the University Library.
- Provide data management support for individual projects or groups, ensuring researchers have access to practical assistance with specific tasks and operational needs.
- Establish a faculty network of data managers to optimize the use of local resources for developing tailored support strategies, training workshops, and strategic initiatives while providing input to the faculty’s collaboration with central services.
- Strengthen the collaboration between the faculty and the RDE Division at IT UiO to ensure the development of relevant digital tools, services, and training.
- Create a webpage targeting the faculty’s researchers that directs them to relevant IT tools, services, training opportunities, and contact points across different organizational levels.
- Develop tailored support strategies that accommodate varying levels of digital competence among researchers, ensuring that early adopters, technically skilled researchers, and novices receive appropriate assistance.
- Encourage the establishment of local policies at the unit level to budget for data management and IT tools development as direct costs in externally funded projects whenever relevant.