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RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT

Here you will find an overview and further information about the FDZ Ruhr's support services for research data management.

Research data management

To conduct research at a high level and according to the rules of good scientific practice, precise research data management is of particular importance. Therefore, most research-funding institutions have now included the handling of research data in their guidelines and expect information on research data management, even during the application process. The FDZ Ruhr therefore accompanies RWI researchers in all aspects of research data management and supports them in all questions concerning the research data life cycle - from planning data collection to preparing a data management plan to the research data publication.

 

 

Overview

As part of KonsortSWD and a member of NFDI e.V., FDZ Ruhr is actively involved in shaping the development of the National Research Data Infrastructure. But FDZ Ruhr is also committed to the further development of data infrastructures, standards and workflows. This commitment is reflected in various projects. Below you will find an overview:

https://www.rwi-essen.de/en/research-advice/further/research-data-center-ruhr-fdz/research-project

The FDZ Ruhr is dedicated to collecting and registering “replication packages” in order to ensure the transparency and traceability of scientific results generated at the RWI. Further information on the “replication packages” can be found here:

https://www.rwi-essen.de/en/research-advice/further/research-data-center-ruhr-fdz/research-data-management

Research ethics refers to the moral and ethical principles that should be followed when conducting research projects and studies. It involves a systematic review and reflection on the moral aspects of research processes and outcomes to ensure that they are ethically and morally acceptable.

Adherence to research ethics is essential to ensure that research results are trustworthy and meaningful and that participants and society as a whole are protected from harm. Therefore, researchers are generally required to conduct an ethical assessment of their research project prior to implementation to ensure that they comply with the principles of research ethics.

What aspects does research ethics cover?

Research ethics encompasses many different aspects, including:

  • The protection of the privacy and confidentiality of participants
  • The protection of animals and other living organisms used in research
  • The avoidance of scientific misconduct, including fraud and plagiarism
  • The disclosure of conflicts of interest or funding relationships
  • The avoidance of discrimination and inequality in research
  • The responsibility to publish research results and make them publicly available.

KonsortSWD, the NFDI consortium for social, behavioural, educational and economic sciences, provides recommendations for action and best practice examples for compliance with ethical principles in empirical research. In addition, KonsortSWD provides a regularly updated overview of the landscape of local ethics committees in the social and economic sciences in Germany.

When is a statement from an ethics committee required?

A statement from an ethics committee is usually required when a research study or project is conducted on humans or animals, as this raises potential risks and ethical issues. An ethics committee is a group of experts who review the ethical aspects of the research project independently of the research group and issue a statement.

Here are some examples of when an opinion from an ethics committee may be required:

  • If humans are involved as participants in the research study, ethical concerns related to their protection and privacy must be taken into account. An ethics committee can review whether the participants' consent has been obtained properly, whether the risk to the participants is minimal, and whether the project has a potential benefit.
  • If animals are used in research, the ethics committee must ensure that the suffering of the animals is minimised and that the study is only carried out if there are no alternatives.
  • If the research may touch on sensitive issues such as ethnicity, religion or sexuality, the ethics committee must ensure that participants are protected from stigmatisation or discrimination.
  • If the research has financial interests, such as being sponsored by a company, the ethics committee must ensure that there are no conflicts of interest that could influence the results.
  • Fd.info – here you will find comprehensive information on all aspects of research data management.
  • KonsortSWD – the Consortium for Social and Economic Data develops services and infrastructures within the framework of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFID e.V.) for the social and economic sciences.
  • RDM Compas is an information and training platform for building FDM skills in the social and economic sciences. Its development and further expansion are funded by KonsortSWD.
  • The Open Economics Guide from the ZBW offers a wide range of tools and tips for more efficient and visible research.

Contact:

If you have any questions about research data management, please contact Philip Raatz:

Any questions?

Philip Raatz