Research Data Services

Questions to consider about your data

• Is your data newly created, or is it drawing from another study/experiment?
• How much data will there be? (megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, etc.)
• Will / how much will it grow / change over time? 
• What type / form of data is being produced (numeric, geospatial, graphical, etc.)
• What are the file formats? 

• Who is responsible for collecting the data? 
• Who is responsible for data integrity and management?
• In cases where funders are involved, do they have specific data management requirements? 

• Is there a metadata or ontology for describing your data in your community? If not, is there a metadata standard you've used in the past that you are comfortable with?
• Are there special tools or software necessary to create, read, or process data? How are tools or software managed or upgraded?
• Are there special privacy or security requirements?

• Do you plan to publish the data? 
• Are there any sharing requirements from the funder?
• How do you plan to handle copyright or data re-use by others?

• How do you plan to document your project? What tools, software, etc., will you use to manage your documentation? 
• How long should the data and accompanying software and documentation be retained? How do you plan to ensure long-term access? 
• Is there a data repository in your community? Do you plan to store your data there? Where else do you plan to store data?
• How often is your data backed up? Should it be stored in several locations? 

• What are the estimated costs of obtaining, preparing, documenting, and archiving the data? 
• Will these costs be covered by the funder? If not, how will costs be covered?