Summary and Schedule
Researchers come to research data management (RDM) consulting with concrete problems: hundreds of inconsistent spreadsheets, scripts that colleagues keep overwriting, metadata that has to be collected by hand. Many tools could help, but which one fits, and what does it take to learn it?
This lesson is for people who advise researchers on RDM, for example in libraries, computing centres or research support offices. It is organised around typical consulting cases rather than around tools. For each case you will discuss which tools could help, see a short live demonstration, and decide what you would recommend and where you would refer the researcher to learn more.
You will not learn to use the tools in depth. The goal is to know enough about them to give good advice and to point researchers to the right training.
This lesson is developed by ZB MED. It uses the template of The Carpentries but is not part of The Carpentries Incubator and is not endorsed by The Carpentries.
Prerequisites
- Experience with research data management or with advising researchers is helpful.
- No programming experience is needed, and you do not need to install anything. All tools are demonstrated by the instructors.
| Setup Instructions | Download files required for the lesson | |
| Duration: 00h 00m | 1. Introduction |
What kinds of problems do researchers bring to RDM consulting? How can we compare tools without becoming experts in all of them? |
| Duration: 00h 15m | 2. Case 1: Moving Patient Data from Excel to a Database |
Which tools can help to clean spreadsheet data and move it into a
database? How can a data steward work with data they do not own? |
| Duration: 01h 00m | 3. Case 2: A Team Overwriting Each Other’s Scripts |
How can a team work on the same scripts and documents without losing
changes? What does it take to introduce version control in a research group? |
| Duration: 01h 45m | 4. Case 3: Enriching a List of Journals with Metadata |
How can metadata be retrieved automatically instead of being collected
by hand? What is an API, and when is it worth using one? What can AI tools contribute, and what do they not replace? |
| Duration: 02h 30m | 5. Decision Guide: Which Tool for Which Question? | How can we summarise what we learned for our own consulting practice? |
| Duration: 02h 45m | Finish |
The actual schedule may vary slightly depending on the topics and exercises chosen by the instructor.
You do not need to install anything for this lesson. All tools are demonstrated by the instructors.
For the online version you need:
- a computer with an up-to-date web browser
- the videoconferencing client used for the workshop (e.g. Zoom)
- access to the shared document (link from the instructors)
If you want to try the tools yourself after the workshop, see the links in the section “Where to learn more” at the end of each episode.