Creating file and folder organization structures can help groups of researchers collaborate and keep track of the data they use in a project. Using a good structure cannot only help researchers know how to name their files, where to place them, but also their colleagues to navigate to a project folder and find what data exists, and what still needs to be created. In this workshop the Data Team will demonstrate how to create a proper folder structure that can be easily shared within a research group, as well as good file naming tips to know the content of a file from the file name.

Fall 2023 Materials:

A Readme file is a simple documentation file that can be included with data packages, and it is a way to convey information to yourself and others about your data packages. Documenting your data packages can help you remember where you have placed data, how you structured data, which can be helpful when revisiting data after a vacation or a few years. Also, README files help others to understand and use your data/code. In this workshop, you’ll learn where to find the UU Geosciences faculty README template, how to edit, and what information to put in README files.

Metadata is all about giving information about data, code, or any digital object. Metadata can help you and others to interpret data better. Metadata can be provided in different forms but for practical purposes, the metadata needs to be readable by humans and machines. In this workshop, we introduce different types of metadata and give you guidelines for choosing the best metadata schema for your dataset/codes.

Fall 2023 Materials – Documenting Research Data in a README file :

Fall 2023 Materials – Preparing Metadata in Practice:

UU researchers have access to Microsoft software and cloud storage such as Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. In this workshop you will learn how to create and manage Teams, add tools for planning, calendars, wikis, notebooks to the team, and store and manage data within the Teams environment and associated SharePoint. You will also learn about managing and sharing data with OneDrive.

Fall 2023 Materials:

Collecting and generating data is one thing, but to make data ready for sharing with collaborators from UU and external institutes, asks for different preparations. There are different platforms available to choose from, in addition it is important to provide the data in a suitable way and format with sufficient documentation. In this workshop the different platforms for sharing data will be treated, also considering the type of data to be shared, user-friendliness of the platform and possibilities in granting access to the data. This allows you to determine which method and platform to share your research data will suit you best.

Spring 2023 Materials:

Git is a code versioning and collaboration system to help developers track changes in code as it grows, and allows multiple people to collaborate and build the same code, GitHub is an online platform for widely sharing Git projects. In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Git and GitHub, and how to get started tracking and versioning your code. Class is limited to 5 people at a time, and will get hands on with Git and GitHub through the GitHub Desktop application.

Spring 2023 Materials:

After all data processing steps have taken place, you can categorize your data in roughly three groups; data you like to publish, data you like to preserve / archive and data that you do not need any longer. Data is the first two groups need some preparations to be suitable for long-term preserving and making publicly accessible. In this workshop you will learn how to select your research data for either publishing or archiving, how to prepare your data and when to start doing so. In addition, several low-threshold platforms for publishing and archiving will be showcased to demonstrate how they can help you do this.

Spring 2023 Materials:

YoDa is the standard and reliable data repository provided by UU. It helps you manage your data from earlier stages till publishing. To use that efficiently, one needs to have some basic practical knowledge about that. In this workshop, we give you hands-on experience on how to access YoDa, upload data, share data, and publish data on YoDa.

Spring 2023 Materials:

Jupyter Notebook is an open-source web application that allows users to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text. It supports various programming languages, including Python, R, Julia, and others. Jupyter Notebook provides an interactive environment for data analysis, exploration, and visualization, making it a popular tool among data scientists, researchers, and educators. It also allows users to document and share their work with others, making it a powerful collaboration tool.

In this workshop, we introduce the basics of using Jupyter Notebook for data analysis, exploration, and visualization. The workshop typically covers topics such as creating and running code cells, using Markdown to format text, working with data files, and creating visualizations. We will show you how to leverage the interactive environment of Jupyter Notebook to quickly iterate on your code and explore your data.

Fall 2023 Materials:

Programming skills provide researchers and PhDs with powerful tools to enhance their research capabilities, automate tasks, analyze data, and collaborate effectively. It opens up new avenues for exploration, empowers problem-solving, and expands career opportunities in a technology-driven world.

By possessing coding skills, researchers are better equipped to implement the necessary technical requirements to comply with FAIR principles and Open Science practices. Coding skills enable researchers to effectively manage data, develop reusable software, enhance research reproducibility, and actively contribute to the open research ecosystem. Not everyone starts with coding experience in their research projects. Different fields need different coding levels.

For example, researchers in computer science or data science fields may begin coding at an advanced level early on, while those in other disciplines may start coding later in their research journey when specific analysis or modeling tasks require it. In any case, it is important for researchers, most importantly for PhDs, to identify the specific coding skills required, and leverage available resources to learn and improve their programming abilities. In this workshop, we will give essential information to those who would like to start programming but do not know where to start.

Fall 2023 Materials:

Using personal data in the age of the GDPR is a tough challenge. This workshop will show you how to organize the handling of personal data of your project. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or just starting your PhD, running a multinational research project or a single survey, starting a webpage, organizing a conference or running a newsletter, it is important to learn how to shape your data processing to comply with the GDPR.

In this workshop we aim to demonstrate a solution for organizing personal data with full GDPR compliance using the “Privacy Scan”. The Privacy Scan is a tool developed to facilitate evaluating and documenting a project’s GDPR compliance. The privacy scan is based around four core components which must be applied for all activities: have a clear and legitimate purpose, design a safe data processing, inform and provide adequate control to the people behind the processed data, and document your compliance using the privacy scan format.

Spring 2023 Materials:

Good management of research data, starts with a good plan! Are you a researcher working with several data during your projects? Then this workshop is for you.

In this workshop, we will delve into Data Management Plans (DMPs). Planning for your research project helps you ensure that your research is reproducible and compliant with the latest research standards and funders’ requirements.

During this session, you will gain practical insights and tools to effectively plan how to manage your data, throughout the lifecycle of your project. You will learn best practices that will help you boost your research efficiency, enhance the FAIRness (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) of your data, and increase your research impact.

(Note: This workshop complements the online training available at the UU Library, “Learn to Write your DMP”. If you’re eager to explore DMP creation in greater detail, make sure to check out “Learn to Write your DMP” for an in-depth training course).

Fall 2023 Materials – Planning Data and Software Management :

Spring 2024 Materials – Planning Data Management :