OpenARCC is a data management initiative for ARCC network participants, providing support and advice on sharing and archiving research outputs.
Hosted on an external blog platform, OpenARCC will help you to:
- share data and documents, and archive a research project website
- find out what EPSRC and your university expect you to do with data and documents
- find the best advice on licensing data and intellectual property
- share your experience with other researchers
- add your dataset to the ARCC network data list
- find useful forms and templates
- learn from other users and creators of EPSRC-funded data and outputs.
Follow the OpenARCC blog, or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.
OpenARCC now includes links to over 250 articles and reports on research into the UK built environment and infrastructure funded by EPSRC, and information about 6 datasets.
Answering data management questions
With the deadline for compliance with EPSRC’s data policy looming (1 May 2015), the ARCC data and information strategy officer has attended a Liveable Cities project meeting in Lancaster. Researchers asked lots of questions, including about newly published results of old data and preserving the confidentiality interview. Contact Fiona Hewer if you would like her to attend your ARCC project meeting.
Researchfish
Researchfish is RCUK’s new reporting system. A new data group met in early January to discuss network-wide issues. The group includes members from EPSRC, Universities of Birmingham and Newcastle-upon Tyne and the coordination team at UKCIP. The group will also be discussing preserving project websites, liaison with other EPSRC networks and expanding the OpenARCC data list.
First data group meeting
The first meeting of the ARCC network data and information management group found that 80% of EPSRC built environment and infrastructure grants have submitted entries to Researchfish. This is a good result for the first Annual Submission Round. Researchers can continue to enter information at any time – the ARCC coordination team are available to help you. The information is used by EPSRC and central government to plan future research funding, e.g. in the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review.
1 May 2015 is the date for implementation of the EPSRC policy framework on research data, which has nine ‘expectations’ of research institutions (see the OpenARCC guide). There is concern that many researchers at the coalface are unaware of actions they are expected to take, such as adding a statement to papers describing how and on what terms any supporting research data may be accessed. A ‘checklist’ of actions would be useful to ensure researchers are making the most of their work, avoiding duplication in reporting and complying with their funder’s policy.
The group is encouraging research projects to submit simple, 5 point entries to the ARCC data list so that we can better understand the data achievements of ARCC. It is also in the spirit of EPSRC expectation V:
“Research organisations will ensure that appropriately structured metadata describing the research data they hold is published (normally within 12 months of the data being generated) and made freely accessible on the internet”.
The group is giving advice and support on the creation of a data and information management system for EPSRC-funded research on the built environment and infrastructure. The aim is to get a better understanding of:
- motivations for entering research data and outputs into systems
- motivations for searching systems
The large number and range of existing systems for depositing or cataloguing research data means that our ‘new system’ will very likely be based on what is already in use.
For more information, email arcc@ukcip.org.uk.
