Ms Ria Hamblett1, Mr Andreas Mertin1, Dr Shannon Taylor2, Dr Cameron Fong2, Mr John Brown4, Ms Alexis Tindall3
1University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 3University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia, 4Curtin University Library, Perth, Australia
Biography:
Shannon Taylor, Research Data Consultant, University of Sydney
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3449-1878
Bio: Shannon Taylor is a Research Data Consultant at The University of Sydney. Shannon engages with researchers, professional and faculty staff to assist with research data concerns, as well as produce and develop content. Shannon has recently developed innovative research data management approaches for the non-STEM field, leveraging her previous experience as a STEM researcher.
Cameron Fong, Research Data Consulting Lead, University of Sydney
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4558-3700
Bio: Cameron Fong engages with researchers, faculty, professional staff, and students to promote, improve, develop, and implement RDM best practices. This varies from developing resources, providing support and training for the research community, working with individual researchers to develop tailored solutions, to collaborating with peers at different institutions.
Ria Hamblett, Senior Specialist, Data Librarian, UTS Library
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3822-9631
Bio: Ria Hamblett has almost a decade of experience as an academic librarian, specialising in research support across all aspects of the research lifecycle. As Data Librarian in the Open Scholarship & Copyright team at UTS Library, she leads RDM training and advocacy efforts, including developing resources, providing consultations, and delivering workshops to research staff and students across all Faculties. She is a core member of the UTS RDM Community of Practice group, which functions as a cross-unit discussion forum for all University units involved in RDM activities, fostering a collaboratively informed stakeholder group.
Andreas Mertin, Data Management Specialist, UTS Data Governance Team
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5808-4783
Bio: Andreas Mertin has provided RDM support to the UTS research community in numerous roles, from promoting RDM best practice as a data librarian, to advising on tools and infrastructure as an eResearch Information Analyst. He is now the Research Data Management Specialist in the Data Analytics and Insights Unit at UTS, where he drives data governance and information management activities in research practice and working to extend the Data Risk Framework across the UTS Research domain.
Alexis Tindall, Manager, Digital Stewardship, University of Adelaide Library
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1888-6693
Bio: Alexis Tindall is Manager, Digital Stewardship at the University of Adelaide Library, leading the Library’s support for research data management and digital preservation. Before this, she worked in enabling digital research in the humanities, arts and social sciences, and has a background in project management and digitisation in museums.
John Brown; Coordinator, Research Services, Curtin University Library
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6118-577X
Bio: John Brown works at Curtin University Library providing data management support for researchers.
Abstract:
Research Data Management (RDM) has traditionally been largely STEM-centric, presenting unique challenges for RDM professionals working with Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) researchers. This session will delve into these challenges and discuss strategies for effective RDM engagement and support within HASS disciplines.
We will highlight the significant differences in professional drivers for RDM between HASS and STEM fields; and explore why standard RDM terminology (including terms such as ‘data’, ‘validate’, and ‘reproduce’) often does not resonate with HASS researchers. Emphasising the importance of listening to and understanding HASS perspectives, we will discuss how RDM policies and procedures should aim to be more inclusive, reflecting the diverse research landscapes across our institutions.
This session is designed for RDM support professionals working with HASS researchers, as well as governance personnel involved in developing RDM policies and procedures. It will feature short presentations from the University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, University of Adelaide, and Curtin University sharing insights from their RDM experiences and projects within HASS disciplines. This will be followed by an open forum discussion, for attendees to share their own experiences and pose questions.
Key takeaways will include strategies for addressing discipline-specific challenges; engagement strategies for facilitating open discussions with researchers across disciplines; uplifting RDM practices within HASS; and shared best practices and successes.
This session aims to foster a mutually beneficial approach to RDM, aligning institutional objectives with the unique needs of the HASS community.