If you conduct research, you produce data. If you produce data, you need an efficient system to organize, store, retrieve, and share it. Developing a comprehensive data management system can help you to:

• Save future time and effort                                                                       

• Increase the impact of your work

• Meet funding requirements

• Collaborate more efficiently with other researchers

• Organize an ever-increasing amount of data

• Ensure long term storage and access

• Help your data to be replicated and verified

The lifecycle of research data is integral to the research process itself. Thinking about best practices and developing a plan for dealing with data at every stage of the lifecycle can help you to develop a strategy for data management.

The Data Lifecycle, adapted from the Research 360 Project