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Example: Data handling for a hypothetical project in pure mathematics

Project description

For the sake of this example, consider researcher Christiane Görgen and PhD student Jane Doe working on a theoretical project in functional analysis at Uni Hintertupfingen, with Jane’s supervisor Prof.Smith regularly checking in, and the university’s local research-data manager Miss Toulemonde providing consultancy.

1. Data description

We rely on existing data in form of articles, books, and preprints, in analog or .pdf format, accessible through U Hintertupfingen’s mathematics library. Our newly-generated data will be of the same format, processed in LATEX, using the tikz package for illustrations. The total data volume will likely not exceed 1GB. We further generate handwritten notes and blackboard expositions.

2. Documentation and data quality

We use a shared .tex file to keep track of work in progress and a .bib file to list resources, using the DataCite metadata standard for publications. Theorems are supplied with proof and references, the standard documentation in mathematics. Quality of our results is ensured through discussions with colleagues at the international Oberwolfach workshop 2452 which Christiane Görgen attends, a presentation of preliminary results by Jane Doe at the regional seminar TULKXA, and subjecting results to peer review in renowned journals like Fun Analysis.

3. Storage and technical archiving the project

During the active research, we share handwritten notes in in-person meetings and develop new theory on a blackboard, if relevant archived by taking pictures. All collaborators have access to digital writing, stored pictures, and bibliographical files in (sub-)folders in a shared project on overleaf.org. That system also allows for version control. We keep all of our digital data in that one place and save monthly backups on U Hintertupfingen mathematics’ cloud service as well as on our personal devices. After the project ends, the shared online folders are labelled final and saved on the cloud infrastructure by U Hintertupfingen’s computing centre (for ten years as required by the codex of good scientific practice), a preprint is uploaded to arxiv.org. Handwritten notes are kept in labelled folders at our individual offices.

4. Legal obligations and conditions

All authors share ownership of the data. Usage rights, including for Jane Doe’s final dissertation, have been agreed on in writing. Since ours is purely theoretical work, there are no ethical concerns or issues with data privacy. Arising copyright claims are checked regularly and recognized if justified. At this point we are not aware of any contract-law provisions regarding data publishing.

5. Data exchange and long-term data accessibility

During project runtime both researchers, Prof.Smith, and Miss Toulemonde have access to all data. After completion, the scientific community shall have easy access to results via preprints published on arxiv.org under a CC-BY license, and peer-reviewed articles placed in open-access journals as recommended by the TIB3. Should any supplementary material become relevant, we will use the journal’s infrastructure or zenodo.org for storage and citation as recommended by MaRDI.

6. Responsibilities and resources

Christiane Görgen’s responsibility is the implementation and updating of this research-data management plan in all stages of the project. She submits results to an appropriate journal. Jane Doe submits the preprint. Both researchers and Prof.Smith follow MaRDI, the DMV, and the DFG Fachkollegium Mathematik to quickly adapt to new mathematics-specific recommendations. Miss Toulemonde acts as an advisor and monitors U Hintertupfingen’s and the funding body’s guidelines. We do not predict extra costs for personnel implementing data management during project runtime. Consultation from internal experts is encompassed in the university’s budget. The same goes for the cost of long-term research-data storage on U Hintertupfingen’s servers. If any costs do arise, we will apply for extra funds.

In case we need to publish additional data, we will follow the MaRDI guidelines on data management and how to choose an appropriate repository.