2.0 About research data

Without data you’re just another person with an opinion.
– W. Edwards Deming, engineer, statistician and professor

Photo: "W. Edwards Deming" by FDA is licensed under PDM

In Section 1 there was mention of the current focus on transparency and replicability/reproducibility of research. In empirical sciences, it is expected that you base your arguments on the analysis of data and not on anecdotal evidence, personal beliefs or guesses (and certainly not on alternative facts). Trained PhD candidates know this, so this section will not dwell on the importance of data in research, but rather on the research data landscape.

After working through this section, you should be able to:

• Characterise the origin of your own and other people’s data.
• Explain the different processing levels of your own data.
• Demonstrate knowledge about the long tail of research data.
• Recognise the potential need for special protection of your data.