Kent State University Libraries, in partnership with Information Technology and Research & Sponsored Programs, works with researchers to meet their data management needs.

The library can help with:

• Creating data management plans for grant proposals
• Identifying the best data repository for your project
• Choosing the appropriate data format for long-term use and access
• And many other aspects of data management!

For more information, please email researchdata [at] kent.edu.

Writing a data management plan

Some grants require researchers to submit a data management plan to the funding agency as part of their application. A data management plan is a document that outlines how you will collect, store, and distribute your research data -- both during the project and after the project has concluded.

Data management is a specialty within librarianship, and your subject librarian can review your data management plan and give feedback on what to include. Contact any of the following librarians for help:

• Ginnie Dressler, Digital Projects Librarian
• Michael Hawkins, Head, Map Library
• Karen MacDonald, Business Librarian

Not sure where to start? The DMP Tool is a free online tool that will walk you through the process of creating a data management plan, using templates that are compatible with the grant requirements for many governmental funding agencies.

• DMP Tool

Finding and sharing data

There are many databases you can use to locate and obtain secondary data.

• Finding and working with datasets

Your subject librarian is an expert on information resources relevant to your discipline, and can help you find secondary datasets for analysis. Contact your subject librarian directly for help.

• Find your subject librarian

When publishing your data, consider including a license that explains the terms of reuse. The library's Copyright Services can help you choose a license that fits your needs.

• Copyright Services
• Cindy Kristof, Head, Copyright Services

Data repositories

Kent State University's institutional repository, Open Access Kent State, can host datasets and make them freely available on the Web. Current faculty, staff, and students are eligible. Contact oaks [at] kent.edu to determine if this option is appropriate for your data.

• Open Access Kent State (OAKS)
• Dave Elswick, Institutional Repository Manager

Data cleaning & data visualization

The library has faculty and staff who specialize in different types of data analysis software. They can advise you on choosing and using the right software tools to prepare, visualize, and analyze your data.

• Geospatial (ArcGIS, QGIS) - Michael Hawkins, Head, Map Library
• Statistical and qualitative (SAS, SPSS, JMP, R, Stata, NVivo, Qualtrics) - Kristin Yeager, Manager, Statistical Consulting
• Citation visualization (VOSViewer) - Karen MacDonald, Business Librarian, or Ginnie Dressler, Digital Projects Librarian

Training and Instruction

• Writing a data management plan
• Grant requirements for data
• Research identity support: ORCiD and SciENcv
• Data repository options
• Intellectual property and copyright
• Data security
• Bibliometrics and evaluating research impact
• How to cite data
• Additional tools and resources