Data Management Workbook

Kristin Briney is the Biology & Biological Engineering Librarian at the California Institute of Technology. She is the author of Data Management for Researchers and coauthor, with Becky Yoose, of Managing Data for Patron Privacy. She has a PhD in chemistry and an MLIS, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She specializes in research data management, institutional data policy, and patron privacy with respect to library data handling. Kristin is an advocate for the adoption of the international date standard ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) and likes to spend her free time making data visualizations out of yarn.

Briney’s workbook strikes an effective balance between approachable narrative framing and structured practical application.... [it] provides a clear and manageable roadmap for more consistent and sustainable data management practices.

• Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 What is Data Management? 1.2 The Research Data Lifecycle 1.3 Why Do Data Management? 1.4 Using This Book to Manage Your Data BetterChapter 2. Documentation Exercise 2.1: Evaluate a Laboratory/Research Notebook Exercise 2.2: Document Project Information Exercise 2.3: Create a Data Dictionary Exercise 2.4: Build a Documentation TemplateChapter 3. File Organization and Naming Exercise 3.1: Set up a File Organization System Exercise 3.2: Create a File Naming ConventionChapter 4. Data Storage and Security Exercise 4.1: Pick Storage and Backup Systems Exercise 4.2: Test Your Backup Exercise 4.3: Create a Strong PassphraseChapter 5. Data Management Planning and Policies Exercise 5.1: Write a Data Management Plan for a Funding Application Exercise 5.2: Write a Living Data Management Plan Exercise 5.3: Identify Applicable Data Policies Exercise 5.4: Determine Data StewardshipChapter 6. Data Sharing Exercise 6.1: Make a Spreadsheet more Accessible and Reusable Exercise 6.2: Write a README File for Shared Data Exercise 6.3: Write Alt Text for a Data Visualization Exercise 6.4: Pick a Data Repository for Sharing Exercise 6.5: Select a License for Your Shared Data Exercise 6.6: Share Data Exercise 6.7: Cite a Publicly Available DatasetChapter 7. Project Wrap-up Exercise 7.1: Convert Data File Types Exercise 7.2: Create an “Archive” Folder Exercise 7.3: Prepare Data for Future Use Exercise 7.4: Separate from Your Institution