New Website Offers Support for Research Data Management and Sharing

Northwestern IT recently launched the Research Data Management and Sharing website—a collection of web pages intended to assist University researchers with recent changes to federally funded research requirements.

"With the new data management and sharing requirements from federal funding agencies, it is important that researchers have current information about the policies and relevant services," said Jackie Milhans, director of research computing and data in Northwestern IT. "We are thankful to our University partners for their collaboration in this effort."

In preparing content for the site, Northwestern IT's Research Computing and Data Services team partnered with Galter Health Sciences Library, University Libraries, and the Office for Research to ensure support resources are available from research planning to publication as well as creating a single email address to reach support staff across the University.

"So many units across Northwestern support the research data lifecycle due to the complexity of each stage, which can make navigating these services complicated and unwieldy," Milhans added. "Our goal is to make it easier for Northwestern researchers to create data management plans, know which data must be shared for reproducibility, know where to share it, and how to contact an expert for help." 

Organize, Describe, Preserve, and Share

The site features four sections providing guidance and resources for managing and sharing research data throughout the project's lifecycle.

• Planning – Get tips for writing a data management plan, including plan templates, and learn how to protect sensitive information in your data.
• Data Collection and Storage – Find information on transferring data within Northwestern, sharing data with external colleagues, and how to choose appropriate data storage.
• Data Archiving – Learn how to make your data reusable, share data repositories, and understand guidelines for retaining data when a project is complete.
• Support and Resources – View the extensive list of support and consultation resources, both internal and external to Northwestern.

Learn more

Please visit the Research Data Management and Sharing website for resources and tools that support research activities at Northwestern. Questions about the site's information and resources across Northwestern can be directed to researchdata@northwestern.edu.