Digital Curation: A How-To-Do-It Manual

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Chapter 9: Designing Data

Chapter 9 covers Conceptualise, the first of the Sequential Actions of the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model. Conceptualise is the process of conceiving and planning the creation of data, including capture method and storage options.

9.1 Checklists

The checklists in this section indicate the requirements for making data "curation ready" by planning them so they meet relevant standards, are well documented, have sufficient metadata associated with them, and can be shared.

• 9.1.1 Planning for Data Sharing: Checklist
  (Source: based on Biological Sciences Research Council. 2010. BBSRC Data Sharing Policy
  www.bbsrc.ac.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.aspx?lID=1569&sID=4981)

A data-sharing plan should note:

• Data areas and data types
• Volume of data
• Type of data
• Content of the data
• Standards and metadata
• Standards and methodologies to be adopted for data collection and management
• Reasons why these have been selected
• Relationship to other data available in public repositories
• Secondary use
• Further intended and/or foreseeable research uses for the completed dataset(s)
• Methods for data sharing
• Planned mechanisms for making these data available
• Access mechanisms (where appropriate)
• Proprietary data
• Restrictions on data sharing because proprietary or patentable data is present
• Timeframes
• Timescales for public release of data
• Format of the final dataset.

• 9.1.2 Data Management Plan: Checklist
  (Source: based on Rural Economy and Land Use Programme Data Support Service. 2006. Guidance on Data Management
  www.data-archive.ac.uk/relu/RELUaug2006.pdf )

• Gain written consent to gather the data
• Identify ownership of the IPR [Intellectual Property Rights] of your data
• Use standardized and consistent measures and procedures when collecting, checking and verifying data
• Provide enough documentation to inform a user of the data about project methods, data collection and data preparation
• Label your data and files clearly
• Use current recommended data formats
• Anonymize the data, if required
• Keep copies of data—digital and non-digital—in a safe location
• Be clear about which is the master version of your data
• Back up your files according to a regular schedule
• Keep related information (e.g., interview summaries)

• 9.1.3 Digitization Project Planning: Checklist
  Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative. 2009. Digitization Activities: Project Planning and Management Outline
  www.digitizationguidelines.gov/stillimages/documents/DigActivities-FADGI-v1-20091104.pdf

• 9.1.4 Digitization Project Planning: Checklist
  North Carolina ECHO (Exploring Cultural Heritage Online). 2007. Digitization Guidelines: Project Planning
  www.ncecho.org/dig/guide_1planning.shtml

9.2 Templates

9.3 Links

• 9.3.1 FAQs About Submitting Funding Proposals

  DCC. Frequently Asked Questions about Submitting Funding Proposals to the Medical Research Council (MRC)
  www.dcc.ac.uk/digital-curation/digital-curation-faqs/submitting-funding-proposals-medical-research-council

9.3.2 Conceptualisation Checklist

DCC. 2010. Curation Checklists: Checklist for Conceptualisation
www.dcc.ac.uk/training/train-the-trainer/dc-101-lite-materials

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