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What are Research Data?

The term 'research data' does not just refer to the digital data files that are generated by the instruments we use in our experiments, but to all the various kinds of information and even physical objects that are collected, observed, or generated as part of our research. Research data includes data collected from experiments, but also computational data collected through simulations or other computational techniques, observational data including notes captured in paper or electronic notebooks, along with any calculations, codes and scripts developed or used as a part of the research. Other materials used in the research such as photographs, videos, maps, graphs, and other images are also all research data.

Research data also includes secondary data, that is data that you plan to use for your research from other sources. For example, if you are working on a computational model or simulation you may use data from other researchers, rather than data you have generated yourself, or you may be looking to combine existing data with your own. It is important to capture a record of any secondary data that you use so that it can be properly cited when you come to publish your research. The UK data service provides guidance on how to find and evaluate data from other researchers.

Creating a data inventory​

It can be difficult to identify your research data when planning your project, and the nature of the research data may change throughout the project. For example, you may collect the data using different methods or instruments, or you may transform the data to a new form through your analysis, adoption of a new standard or through the use of new software. It is important to keep a record of the data that is created and transformed during your research, so that you can find it again later and one approach to this is to keep a data inventory. As well as updating the data inventory with data you are collecting, you should also regularly consider whether anything has changed about how or why you are collecting data for your research.

For more information about how to track your data with examples and templates, see Data inventory from the UK Data Service. The CABI Data Sharing Toolkit also provides an excellent learning module on Ensuring sustainable access to data with guidance and checklists, including on how to create a data inventory.

What to do next​

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