The final day of LOVE YOUR DATA week and it all comes together. Well documented and organized data kept safe and shared with researchers continue the scientific conversations. A brilliant example of this is the Human Genome Project. This 13-year project funded by public and private efforts opened access to genetic data that led to the discovery of 1800 disease genes and over 2000 tests for human conditions. Countless research projects can get off the ground because their time and resources can focus on next steps instead of reinventing the already sequenced wheel. What is really going on is DATA REUSE.
Category Archives: Chem-Bio Library
LOVE YOUR DATA Day 4 – Data Shhharing
Post by Tiffany Grant PhD, Research Informationist based at Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library
Data Shhharing
“Data” and “sharing” are two words that we don’t like to juxtapose in the scientific community. I mean, who wants to share their hard earned data? It’s the equivalent of sharing ones salary with the world- a group of strangers. The data generated via the scientific process is extremely personal, and is intrinsic to the life and legacy of the researchers who create it. Researchers don’t have a problem with publishing their work once completed, as it adds to their scientific credibility. But, therein lies the problem. Publication does not always equal access.
It is the publisher, not the researcher who owns the rights to the articles published in their journals. Access to these journals typically only comes through a paid subscription. So, while researchers can often get access to journals through their institution, access is not granted to all without paying for individual articles at a time, a process which can prove quite costly. Thus paying for access to online content makes sense only to publishers who profit from it. But, as a researcher, do you really want your hard work under this veil? Is that really what you worked for?
LOVE YOUR DATA Day 3 – Data Documentation
I say to you….slow down, smell the agar plates, take the time to document your data. Your future self will thank you, profusely.
Proper documentation provides the context that your data needs to persist through time, to integrate into new systems and to give you credit for your contributions in the form of data citations. Where possible, you should consider contributing the following information along with your dataset.
LOVE YOUR DATA Day 2 – Organizing your data
Post by Tiffany Grant PhD, Research Informationist based at Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library
Organizing Data
When you’re generating data at a rapid pace, it can be easy to label files with names that seem good at the time, but that will have very little meaning to you later. This practice may save time in the present, but it will ultimately lead to great frustration in the future when finding these exact files seem nearly impossible.
A good practice for data organization is to give your files meaningful, descriptive names, but avoiding long file names. Files names should allow you to identify a precise experiment from the name.
How meaningful are the following file names?
- Test_data_2013
- Project_Data
- Design for project.doc
- Lab_work_Eric
- Second_test
- Meeting Notes Oct 23
LOVE YOUR DATA Day 1 – Keep your data safe
Let’s kick off LOVE YOUR DATA week with KEEPING DATA SAFE.
First a sad story – in one of my first Top Ten Tips for Data Management workshops, I had a workshop participant who I thought was bored out of his skull. He had a glazed look in his eyes and kept shaking his head as if he was saying no, no, no. I approached him, though with some reservations after the workshop, and asked what he thought about the topic and my presentation. His words and I quote were “if only I had known this 6 months ago…I just lost my dissertation work and I am still getting over the shock”. Not bored, but in shock. He had lost 6 months’ worth of work. Sadly he is not the first. If only he and others had known about 3-2-1 or Here-Near and Far.
3-2-1 stands for
3 copies (1 primary copy and two backup copies of your data)
2 formats for storage (use a computer hard drive and an external hard drive)
1 remote copy (cloud storage or geographically separate from your other copies)
These three tips will help keep your data safe and protect your valuable time.
Here, Near and Far is another way of thinking about the same tips. Set up an automatic back up for your data to make it even easier.
At UC we have a few tools that can help you back up your data:
1) Use your Box account. You have 50 GB available to you. IT@UC also has other data solutions available.
2) You can track your work with the Open Science Framework developed by the Center for Open Science or use GitHub.
3) Attend a data management workshop offered by UC Libraries. We have several coming up particular a workshop called Managing Research Data from Generation to Preservation on April 19th.
Fun Fact: Did you know we can still look at Darwin’s original notebooks through the Darwin Online project. Someone took extra special care for those files. Let’s do the same for your data.
Check out this fun video about data back-up and learn how the movie Toy Story 2 was almost lost, but was saved by the 3-2-1 rule.
Visit the Love your Data website for more tips to help keep your data safe. Follow the event on Twitter at #LYD16.
Love Your Data Week Feb 8-12
Join us for LOVE YOUR DATA WEEK February 8 – 12 2016. This week long social media event will celebrate your biggest research asset – your data. Each day will highlight tips and resources around a specific theme.
Monday: Keeping Data Safe
Tuesday: Organizing Data
Wednesday: Documenting Data
Thursday: Data Sharing – Data Citations
Friday: Open Data – Reusing Data
Website: https://loveyourdata.wordpress.com/
Twitter: #LYD16
Instagram: #LYD16
Facebook: #LYD16
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/coateshl/love-your-data-2016/
https://www.pinterest.com/coateshl/the-changing-face-of-data/
Open Science Framework Webinar
OSF 101 Webinar
The Open Science Framework is a free, open source web application created by the Center for Open Science built to help researchers manage their workflows. The OSF is part collaboration tool, part version control software, and part data archive.
Learn how to make the most of your free OSF account by participating in our upcoming webinar. Make managing your research easier with these features:
- Centralized file storage to organize all of your materials in one place
- Collaboration space to keep coworkers on the same page
- Fine-grained privacy controls to manage public and private workflows
- Built-in version control to maintain access to file history
- Add-on connections to the tools you already use to streamline your workflow
Wednesday, February 3, 2016 – 11a -12p EST
Click here for details and to register.
To learn more about the Center for Open Science, visit their website: https://cos.io/
Poison!: Notes from the Oesper Collections, No. 36, January/February 2016
An overview of OSHA’s rating system for laboratory chemicals
Issue 36 provides a brief insight into the history of labeling chemical bottles.
Click here for all other issues of Notes from the Oesper Collections and to explore the Jensen-Thomas Apparatus Collection.
Mendeley Guide & Workshops
In the Fall, the Chem-Bio Library held two Mendeley workshop in the Chem-Bio Library’s Collaborative Zone (503 Rieveschl Hall) , making use of the library’s new wireless displays. The workshop covered: Mendeley installation, inputting & organizing citations, generating citations & bibliographies, installing citation styles, and creating groups and sharing references.
Check out the library’s Mendeley guide to get more information on Mendeley and the workshop’s materials: http://guides.libraries.uc.edu/Citation-Tools/Mendeley
Future Workshop Topics for Graduate Students
What are some workshops topics that you would like the Chem-Bio Library to consider developing for the future? These could include information tools, resources/software offered in the library, data management, electronic notebooks, and possibly other information & technology topics.
Let us know at the below survey!
Langsam, CEAS and Chem-Bio Libraries Closed Nov. 28
Due to a planned electric shutdown for preventative maintenance, the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Library (Baldwin Hall), Chemistry-Biology Library (Reiveschl) and Langsam Library will all be closed Saturday, November 28.
This closing includes the UCit@Langsam Lab located on the 5th floor of Langsam Library. The lab will close 12am, Saturday, November 28 and reopen noon, Sunday, November 29 when the remainder of Langsam re-opens.
Both the CEAS Library and Chemistry-Biology Library have spaces with 24-hour card access. These will be deactivated beginning 5pm, Wednesday, November 25 through the next time the libraries open (Sunday, November 29 at 1pm for the CEAS Library, and Monday, November 30 at 8:30am for the Chemistry-Biology Library).