Effective Research Data Management (RDM) is essential to the success, integrity, and longevity of scholarly research.
Research data is data created or generated as part of a research project and exists in many formats, including numeric data, text, transcripts, images, video, and audio recordings. Research data management (RDM) describes the activities researchers perform as they create and save their research data.
Good RDM is more than an organization—it’s foundational to responsible research. Here’s why learning RDM matters:
- Prevent data loss: Keep your work safe with reliable backup strategies, standardized naming conventions, and consistent file structures.
- Support open science: Well-managed data is easier to share, increasing your research visibility, citations, and community impact.
- Ensure reproducibility: Clear documentation and structured data enable others (and your future self) to verify and replicate your research.
- Meet funder requirements: Tri-Agency and many other funders now require a Data Management Plan (DMP) and long-term data archiving (learn more).
- Enable collaboration: Organized, documented data sets are easier to understand and use across teams and disciplines.
We offer a variety of open, practical tools to support your learning:
- UBC Library RDM GitHub: These open-source, self-paced learning modules are built on GitHub and aligned with The Carpentries’ pedagogy. Topics include file naming, data organization, READMEs, sharing data, Data Management Plans, data deposits in Borealis, and more. Free, self-paced, reproducible, and licensed for reuse.
- UBC Library RDM DataGuide: Updated regularly, this guide walks you through core RDM concepts such as directory structure, file formats, metadata, storage, and version control.
- Downloadable data guides: Ideal for offline reference, these PDFs summarize essential best practices and tools.
The UBC Library provides support for many aspects of research data management, including:
- Preparing data management plans (DMPs)
- Depositing your data for long-term access and preservation
Need help? Contact research.data@ubc.ca