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Research Data Management

Research Data Management at Mount Allison

Managing research data in an effective and responsible manner is an important and integral part of the research life cycle – regardless of research discipline or data type. Well-managed research data increases the reach and impact of research outcomes.  Mount Allison is committed to supporting its scholarly community identify and implement good data management practices, by educating our researchers on sound data management solutions throughout the arc of a research project – from data collection to data sharing to data preservation – and providing resources to support those efforts.

Mount Allison’s Research Data Management Institutional Strategy

Mount Allison is currently developing an institutional strategy to guide our approach to and investment in supporting robust and responsible data management ethics and practices across our campus community.

In March 2023, Mount Allison released its draft strategy, RDM@MtA (view a copy below).

draft RDM@MtA strategy (PDF) (auto download)

Please provide your anonymous feedback via the 4-question survey here: feedback survey for draft RDM@MtA strategy

Your comments will help inform the refinements to the draft strategy and ensure that it reflects our campus needs and priorities.

** Looking for other ways to have your voice heard? Check out opportunities to engage with RDM strategy review under Timeline, below. **

Why an institutional strategy?

In March 2021, the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) (together, the tri-agencies), adopted a Research Data Management Policy to promote and support robust and ethical research practices in Canada.

In an effort to ensure that publicly-funded research is fiscally responsible, reproducible, and widely accessible, the tri-agencies' policy is built on the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles of data management and furthers their previous efforts to encourage sound data management practices.

The Policy - which is not an open data policy - recognizes that data should be responsibly and securely managed and be available for reuse by others, where ethical, legal and commercial obligations allow. The Policy outlines a shared responsibility between institutions and researchers and has three main requirements:

  1. An institutional strategy
  2. The development and submission of data management plans (DMPs) for certain tri-agency funding opportunities
  3. The requirement for data deposit for tri-agency grant recipients

Timeline

By March 2023, the Tri-agency Research Data Management (RDM) Policy requires that each post-secondary institution and research hospital eligible to administer funds from the three tri-agencies create and publicly share an institutional strategy for Research Data Management. Read our draft strategy, RDM@MtA, linked above.

Under the advisement of the Office of the Provost and Vice President Academic and Research, and in concert with the development of a new Strategic Research Plan (SRP), Mount Allison formed an RDM Steering Group in Fall 2022 to coordinate the development of an institutional strategy that will serve to direct our RDM efforts across campus.

In Winter 2023, the RDM Steering Group hosted information sessions, gathered data from administrative support units, and surveyed researchers to draft a preliminary strategy to share with the community. Following its release in March 2023, the RDM Steering group will work to further refine the draft strategy by identifying priorities with SRP working groups, requesting feedback from specific stakeholder groups, including Faculty Council, and incorporating suggestions gathered via campus community feedback surveys. Release of version 1 of RDM@MtA is anticipated in late Spring 2023.

Mount Allison's Institutional Strategy for RDM will be a living document, updated regularly (e.g. at least annually) to reflect investments, changes in best practices, resources availability, researcher expectations, external and internal requirements, and other factors.

Strategy Development and RDM Support

To contribute to Mount Allison's Institutional Strategy for RDM be sure to:

  • Complete the researcher survey to identify current RDM practices and prioritize RDM activities and requirements (available on/after January 12th)
  • Participate in Strategic Research Plan working groups that will contribute to RDM practices and resources on campus
  • Complete the anonymous RDM@MtA feedback survey on the draft RDM@MtA strategy
  • E-mail ideas to research@mta.ca

Together, the Office of Research Services, the Library and Archives, and the Computing Services Department provide resources, training, and advice to researchers on RDM best practices. Click below to find out more!