Learning from each other : The Göttingen eResearch Alliance is an initiative of the University of Göttingen to assist all researchers on the Göttingen Campus (GC) with eResearch related questions and Data Management issues.

As a central point of contact for researchers, research associations and faculties the eResearch Alliance represents the University's joint forces of the central infrastructure providers, the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB) and the Göttingen University's Computing and IT Competence Centre (GWDG).

The Göttingen eResearch Alliance understands eResearch as enhanced research, which to us means an optimized usage of digital technologies and methods for innovative research. 

# eResearch FAQ

eResearch technologies enable researchers to create and collect, analyse, preserve and publish digital research data, and to work collaboratively in virtual teams that cross disciplinary, institutional and national borders by using Virtual Research Environments (VREs).

This ongoing technological change is fundamentally transforming the way researchers work across all scientific fields. Visualisation techniques that enhance the interpretation and presentation of data for example are especially of interest for analysing very large data sets or complex data.

Explore the proposed eResearch Basics on key topics to be taken into account when working with data:

Research Data Management 

should be recognised as arrangements which ensure the usability of research data. The research data policy of the University of Göttingen puts it like this “Management of research data includes their planning, collection, processing, and preservation. It ensures the access to, and the reuse, reproducibility, and quality assurance of all research data underpinning research results.” 

A good method to address all relevant aspects related to the management of research data is to use a checklist or to write a data management plan (DMP). Such a plan is not only an essential first step to take at the pre-project stage, it can also be very useful to refer to and adapt throughout the project [an increasing number of funders require new research proposals with research data to be accompanied by a DMP]. 

DMPs are meant to encourage researchers to reflect on the lifecycle of their data before starting out on their project. If the data have already been published, they should be made available in non-commercial, digital databases along with the metadata.

The preparation of a Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) serves a number of purposes:

• increasing research integrity;
• complying with funders’ requirements and with the instituion’s data policy;
• on top of that, it supports the reasonable handling of research data, because it requires you to actively reflect and structure your data management and how it applies to your project right from the start;
• while it may seem as if a RDMP creates extra workload it can help you to save time and nerves in time-critical situations during the projects runtime.