Protecting the Security of Research Data

http://www.educause.edu/Resources/ProtectingtheSecurityofResearc/241119

From Educause.
Abstract: The effective protection and management of research data has become a hot topic in U.S. higher education. Funding agencies increasingly require data management plans as part of grant submittals, and research offices are being asked to certify the security of research data generated by grant activity. Heretofore, the context for data management and information security activities and initiatives in higher education largely focused on the “enterprise” (administrative) data of the institution, not those data generated by research activities. IT professionals need to be aware that many academic research endeavors include the collection, analysis, and/or storage of sensitive data, the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of which must be asserted and demonstrated. In many cases, the security of sensitive information gathered in the conduct of research is required by law. This research bulletin discusses an over-arching approach by which campus IT solutions can be architected and deployed in such a way as to provide adequate management of research data assets without hindering the research process.

Reducing data complications while capturing data complexity

http://databits.lternet.edu/spring-2011/reducing-data-complications-while-capturing-data-complexity

From LTER. Gail Steinhart tweeted this initially! Introduces the idea of a data explicator...

E-Science Librarianship: Field Undefined

Article by Elsa Alvaro, Heather Brooks, Monica Ham, Stephanie Poegel, and Sara Rosencrans. 2011.

http://www.istl.org/11-summer/article1.html 

Scientific Data Management - How the EU is Responding to the Challenge

http://blogs.wiley.com/publishingnews/2010/12/22/scientific-data-management-how-the-european-union-is-responding-to-the-challenge/

Report on how the EU will ride the wave of data...

Science - CC Wiki

http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Science

Formerly Science Commons. Key projects [from the wiki]:

• Making scientific research “re-useful” — Via the Scholar's Copyright Project, we develop and promote policy and tools to help people and organizations open and mark their published research as Open Access or Open Data.
• Enabling “one-click” access to research tools — Via the Materials Transfer Project, we offer a suite of standardized contracts to bring the efficiencies and economies of scale from e-commerce to the world of scientific tools, so researchers can easily replicate, verify, and extend research.
• Integrating fragmented information sources — Via the Neurocommons project, we help researchers find, analyze, and use data from disparate sources through our R&D around marking and integrating the information with a common, computer-readable language.

Office of Research Integrity - Data Management Resources

From the US Department of Health and Human Services - http://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/rcr_data.shtml

DOI Guide

A guide to DOIs! Be sure to check out the rest of the ANDS website.
http://ands.org.au/guides/doi.html

Crowdsourcing for Human Subjects Research

While working on a Zooniverse proposal, we came across this issue of human subjects... Do we need to go through the IRB? Do these people need to sign consent forms? What are the ethical ramifications?

There is an article here on the topic, written by Lauren A. Schmidt: http://www.crowdsourcing.org/document/crowdsourcing-for-human-subjects-research/3002. 

Introduction to Curation

Cited earlier, this is an Introduction to scientific data curation by the DCC.

http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/briefing-papers/introduction-curation

Open Access Literature Review 2008–9: A Serials Perspective

By Maria Collins. Great article that brings up some good points on Open Access, as well as some insight into self-archiving practices by scientists and their awareness institutional repositories (mostly the lack of awareness...).

I find it odd that an article on open access is not openly accessible itself....

Collins, M. (2011). Open Access Literature Review 2008-9: A Serials Perspective. Library Resources & Technical Services, 55(3), 138-47. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database 

The Unsung Story of Tape Storage

From the article: Data storage expert Henry Newman talks about the hard reality of tape storage: it wears out. Yet Newman opines that tape is still the best data storage medium.

 http://www.datamation.com/storage/the-unsung-story-of-tape-storage.html

Appraisal and Selection (Intro to Curation)

From DCC. Appraisal and selection of scientific data for re-use.

http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/briefing-papers/introduction-curation/appraisal-and-selection

DataONEpedia

DataONE is a group of badasses who wants to help manage the entire data life cycle. As part of this, they offer two great resources: a database on best practices, and a database on software.

Both are available through the DataONE website: https://www.dataone.org/dataonepedia

The main website is here: https://www.dataone.org/

Research Data Lifecycle Management Workshop - related post

Blog post from an attendee of rdlmw. This discusses vendor and corporate relationships with data management. The discussion was insightful, so I hope this blog post gives everyone something to think about!

http://blog.orenblog.org/2011/07/20/panel-discussion-%E2%80%93-vendor-and-corporate-relationships-rdlmw/

Research Data Lifecycle Management Workshop

Hosted by Princeton University, July 19-20, 2011. All about Research Data Lifecycle Management! Very, very interesting. Slides from the first four talks are online, as well as many position papers.

http://rcs.columbia.edu/rdlm

Tweets: #rdlmw

JHU Data Management Services

http://dmp.data.jhu.edu/

Johns Hopkins University is offering data management services, and gives some nice details on effective data management and information a tiny blurb on legal and ethical issues.

Comparison of Required/Preferred Job Skills

One of my small tasks at my UVa internship has been to update a list of e-science jobs, and include where the job is located, the title, and the requirements. From this bigger file, I've compiled a smaller file that lists the institution and the job requirements.
The main thrust of the document is to show what requirements consistently come up for e-science jobs. I will try to keep this updated as e-science related jobs are posted. I have also left it open to editing, so if anyone comes across any other job postings, please add them!

e-science job requirements

DAMA - Guide to the Data Management Body of Knowledge

Found by Susan! Also offers certification programs, such as the Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP), but may or may not be a relevant certificate. Some of the topics covered may not explicitly apply to e-science, but lots of good info.

Also available through Books24x7 through Syracuse.

Main website: http://www.dama.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3552
Link in the SU Catalog: http://summit.syr.edu.libezproxy2.syr.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?db=local&bbid=3286256

Data Sharing by Scientists: Practices and Perceptions

This link was tweeted by one of my supervisors: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0021101. It's published in PLoS ONE - one of my favorite journals! 

Here's a brief bit from the background:
Scientific research in the 21st century is more data intensive and collaborative than in the past. It is important to study the data practices of researchers – data accessibility, discovery, re-use, preservation and, particularly, data sharing. Data sharing is a valuable part of the scientific method allowing for verification of results and extending research from prior results.

Wake up call for academic libraries

A presentation retweeted by one of my superviors: http://digitaalduurzaam.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-digital-wake-up-calls-for-academic.html?spref=tw.

There is also a paper that this presentation is based off of (written in 2008... and people still haven't heard of this??), called "A New Value Equation Challenge: The Emergence of eResearch and Roles for Research Libraries." This article was used to help justify the new Scientific Data Consultant positions here at UVa.

Digital Forensics and Born-Digital Content in Cultural Heritage Collections

A long read (101 pages), and probably dense, but suggested at JCDL2011.

http://www.clir.org/PUBS/reports/pub149/pub149.pdf

Also suggested: a way to train students on digital forensics: www.digitalcorpora.org/corpora/scenarios

Programming: Unix and Python

• Unix for Poets, Kenneth Ward Church

Really interesting for analyzing the content of plain text files &c. using unix commands. Not sure it's relevant for Windows users, but it should work on Mac & Linux. A lot of the commands have been very useful during my internship.

• A Byte of Python, C M Swaroop

Provides a basic introduction to the Python language, and it is also rather short!

• Dive Into Python, Mark Pilgrim

This is a very thorough introduction to Python, meaning incredibly long. It definitely lives up to the book title.

The Virtual Observatory Meets the Library

Choudhury, G. S. (2008). The Virtual Observatory Meets the Library. Journal of Electronic Publishing, 11(1). doi:10.3998/3336451.0011.111

This article describes one instance of collaboration between a group working on the VO and their library. It has some very interesting examples of dialogue and researcher attitudes.

CURATEcamp

"A series of unconference-style events focused on connecting practitioners and technologists interested in digital curation"

I can't go this year, but maybe next year.... http://curatecamp.org/

ISTL: Spring 2011

Spring issue of Issues in Science and Techology Librarianship. Some very interesting articles in this edition, and past editions look good as well!

http://www.istl.org/11-spring/index.html

Book Recommendations

I chatted with a couple of people with Computer Science backgrounds at JCDL, and they gave me two suggestions for getting our feet wet in programming:

1) Python for Software Design: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist by Allen B. Downey

**edit** found a free PDF of this book from greenteapress! Check it out here: http://greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkpython.pdf

2) Anything by Elizabeth Castro

Happy reading! :-)

TED talk: Data Visualization

A large part of what I am doing for my internship is making a recommendation for data visualization.  This TED talk came up in one of our meetings and it is informative and fun!

The Beauty of Data Visualization

Sakai

Sakai: A community effort to create open software that helps to facilitate learning and research. http://sakaiproject.org/

A book was written by one of the developers of Sakai, who is so invested in Sakai that he tattooed its logo on his arm: https://www.createspace.com/3609835.

The skills, role and career structure of scientists and curators: An assessment of current practice and future needs

Technical report.
http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/16675/

Linking to Data

Linking to Data – Effect on Citation Rates in Astronomy [blog entry]

My supervisor for the internship sent me a link to this last week. This resource shows some proof that articles linking to data receive more citations, which should motivate researchers to include data or data citations more often in their submissions.

Managing and Sharing Data - UK Data Archive

Resource on managing data - best practices for researchers. Includes information on data management, data documentation, data formatting, data storage, ethics & consent, copyright, and strategies for centers.

http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/media/2894/managingsharing.pdf

Sharing Detailed Research Data is Associated with Increased Citation Rate

Article by H. A. Piwowar, R. S. Day, & D. B. Fridsma, mentioned in the previous post, Free Science, One Paper at a Time. This article demonstrates that articles that are available for free to the public garner more citations than their counterparts that require payment or subscription fees.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000308

Free Science, One Paper at a Time

A very interesting article by David Dobbs on the current nature of scientific publishing, and efforts to make publishing more open access.

One great quote in there from PLoS co-founder Patrick Brown: "What seemed an impossible ideal in 1836, when Antonio Panizzi, librarian of the British Museum, wrote, ‘I want a poor student to have the same means of indulging his learned curiosity, … of consulting the same authorities, … as the richest man in the kingdoms,’ is today within reach. With the Internet, we have the means to make humanity’s treasury of knowledge freely available to scientists, teachers, students and the public around the world.”

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/05/free-science-one-paper-at-a-time-2/

DataCite

Keeps popping up.... we might want to keep our eyes on this resource. Not-for-profit, member of the International DOI Foundation.

http://datacite.org/

Harnessing the Power of Digital data for Science and Society

One of those trendy names. Another long report, from the Interagency Working Group on Digital Data, published in 2009. Covers the current data landscape, the legal and policy landscape, the data life cycle, seven guiding principles, and offers a section on strategic framework, recommendations, and goals.

http://www.nitrd.gov/About/Harnessing_Power_Web.pdf

Revolutionizing Science and Engineering Through Cyberinfrastructure

Hooray! Cyberinfrastructure! Published in 2003 by the NSF's Blue-Ribbon Advisory Panel Another big report split into sections. Includes: Vision for an advanced cyberinfrastructure program, trends and issues (how trendy can something from 2003 be?), achieving the vision, partnerships for advanced computational infrastructure, budget recommendations, and a few appendices for further reading.

http://www.nsf.gov/od/oci/reports/atkins.pdf

The Fourth Paradigm: Data-Intensive Scientific Discovery

Have you read it? It's a very serious piece of business. Like, what we should be striving for, or something.

http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/fourthparadigm/default.aspx

Long-Lived Digital Data Collections Enabling Research and Education in the 21st Century

From the National Science Board, published in 2005.

The introductions always say the same thing, so I am skipping them for the most part. Other than an introduction that repeats everything that we already know, there are four more chapters, including: elements of the digital data collections universe, roles and responsibilities of individuals and institutions (including a blurb on the data quality act), perspectives on digital data collections policy, and findings and recommendations.

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsb0540/

A Capability Maturity Model for Scientific Data Management

Proposal for a capability maturity model (CMM) for scientific data management (SDM) practices.

http://crowston.syr.edu/content/capability-maturity-model-scientific-data-management-0

To Stand the Test of Time

To Stand the Test of Time: Long-term Stewardship of Digital Data Sets in Science and Engineering

Presented in 2006, an weird compilation of PowerPoint slides and articles on the role libraries will play in data curation and management. Lots and lots information....

http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/digdatarpt.pdf

Data Curation and Libraries: Short Term Developments, Long Term Prospects

Paper from Anna Gold on the role libraries play in data curation.

http://works.bepress.com/agold01/9/

Data Interview Initiative

The Data Interview Initiative is a service available from University of Virginia. Offers an overview of the goals and benefits of the resource, as well as interview questions for researchers to fill out.

http://sites.google.com/site/bseldata/interview-questions

Digital Curation and Preservation Bibliography

Selection of books, articles, and technical reports on digital curation and preservation. Mostly a collection of resources published from 2000 and on. Available in a PDF or for purchase as a paperback. Offers a table of contents with many, many links to relevant resources, and is also searchable.

http://digital-scholarship.org/dcpb/dcpb.htm

We Need Publishing Standards for Datasets and Data Tables

OECD White Paper, written by Toby Green, examining current issues in data discoverability and citation standards and offers a solution through creating industry standards.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/603233448430

Companion web site: http://www.oecd.org/document/25/0,3343,en_21571361_33915056_42600857_1_1_1_1,00.html

Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR)

"The aim of ROAR is to promote the development of open access by providing timely information about the growth and status of repositories throughout the world. Open access to research maximises research access and thereby also research impact, making research more productive and effective."

Searchable by content, country, type, software, as well as a more general search.

http://roar.eprints.org/

List of Data Repositories

A list of data repositories from OAD: http://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/Data_repositories