Data Management Practices of Health Sciences Researchers

This study was approved
and granted exempt status from the University’s Institutional Review Board
(IRB).

Librarians at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
Library System conducted a 25-question online survey of the data management
practices of researchers within the six schools of the health sciences (School of Medicine, School of
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, School of
Nursing, School of Pharmacy, and School of Dental Medicine).

The survey was
administered via SurveyMonkey. Questions
included researchers’ demographics and data management practices such as
the use of file naming conventions, assignment of metadata to data files,
storage of working and back-up data, data accessibility, and the use of data
management plans (survey
instrument provided). All multiple choice questions required a response and the
majority were “check all that apply.”

Participants were
recruited between June 4 and June 21, 2013. A non-targeted message requesting
confidential participation in a research study to collect information on
research data management practices was distributed to multiple health sciences
listservs in the university and posted on the library’s home page and Molecular
Biology blog. A reminder was sent once
during the 17-day survey period. No incentives were offered.

Text provided as the
“other” answer in multiple choice and open-ended questions was categorized
independently by the three authors, who reached agreement on any discrepancies
for final coding.