Research Data Management

Science IT offers research data management services that supports researchers in working with their data.  To do this, Science IT  provides tools and research data management consulting services for researchers seeking advice on how to manage their research data.

• Consulting services include help with writing a data management plan; advice on transferring and storing data; and technical support for building and implementing new or existing solutions to handle your data. Interested researchers can email us at ScienceIT@lbl.gov for more information.
• Science IT has many existing services that can help researchers store and backup their datasets, and also services that will allow for data transfers between systems or collaborators.  This services include:
  • Science Project Storage Service (SPSS) for data storage accessible within the lab network.
  • Cloud Computing services that have many different tiers of storage options and availability.
  • Data Transfer Node services that can be setup for users or groups.
  • Globus services for data transfer between lab provided resources (like Google Drive), cloud services, and institutional or academic resources world-wide.

• DMPTool is a free, open-source, online application that helps researchers create data management plans. These plans, or DMPs, are now required by many funding agencies as part of the grant proposal submission process. The DMPTool provides a click-through wizard for creating a DMP that complies with funder requirements. It also has direct links to funder websites, help text for answering questions, and resources for best practices surrounding data management.
• LBL and UC are proud partners of Dryad, an open-source, research data curation and publication platform. Dryad is now available as a free service for Lab researchers looking to publish and archive their data.
  • Dryad is a comprehensive data management service designed to make data sets discoverable and reusable, while providing data set citations that allow researchers to receive credit for the work they’ve done.
  • Datasets deposited with Dryad can be versioned at any time, and in any format. Up to 300 GB of data can be deposited to a single doi and Dryad has a professional staff that curates the data to ensure the validity of the files and metadata. The doi makes it easy to comply with journal’s data requirements – and Dryad is now integrated with hundreds of journals published by major publishers with more being added all the time – and to fulfill the Lab’s Department of Energy obligations: simply create an entry for the doi in the publications management database the same way you would for a technical report or conference paper. Dryad has a powerful search function allowing you to find other datasets easily.
  • Using Dryad has other benefits for LBL and UC researchers: Dryad requires an ORCID to log in. Don’t have an ORCID already? This is the excuse you need to get one, and create an accurate, discoverable, record of your publications.

For more information about DMPTool or Dryad, contact publications@lbl.gov for more information.