The design of a faculty research data repository platform conducive to a University of Technology

Abstract

As significant players in the production of scholarly work, academic researchers are increasingly gathering and producing data rapidly, exceeding the development of the knowledge and skills required for proper data storage and management. However, the focus has typically been on research publication outputs rather than the research data determining the academic's research output. This study conducted an audit survey on research data management in a University of Technology faculty context to gain insight into their research data management practices. The study was guided by the Data Audit Framework (DAF), the Community Capability Model Framework (CCMF), and the User-Centered Research Data Management Framework (UCRDMF). The study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed method research design incorporating quantitative and qualitative components. In the quantitative phase, an online survey was administered to postgraduate students pursuing Master's and Doctoral degrees between 2015 and 2020. On the other hand, the qualitative phase involved conducting a meta-analysis of research repositories across global Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and conducting online interviews with postgraduate supervisors who play a crucial role in postgraduate study and research administration. The quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), while the qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo software. The collected data were then analyzed respectively with theoretical frameworks and existing literature. The findings revealed that managing research data was primarily a personal matter. The main reason for the difficulties was that the faculty lacked a research data management investment. The use of emails, external hard drives, and personal laptops are additional examples that showcased that the faculty had not established centralized systems for managing research. However, participants did recognize the benefits of managing research data, such as scientific advances, enhanced data repurpose, and simplicity for data reusers. Findings also showed that the lack of platforms permitting data sharing and reuse was one of the main reasons that most researchers had not shared or reused other researchers' research data. Researchers, however, wanted to share their data without restrictions. The study's conclusions were also used to create and document a conceptual framework for the faculty research data repository platform. The proposed model aims to guide the conception of a repository that will secure the storage of faculty digital information that can be easily retrieved.