JISC

This project, DMTpsych, addresses the need for postgraduates in the psychological sciences to ‘develop a sustained awareness of the creation, organisation, validation, sharing and curation of data’ and for data skills to be made ‘a core academic competency’ (Pryor and Donnelly 2009). It aligns with policies requiring a coordinated approach to curation and open access for digital research outputs. DMTpsych will build upon existing research data management materials developed by the Digital Curation Centre (DCC).

Aims and objectives

DMTpsych will create discipline-focussed postgraduate training materials that can be embedded into postgraduate research training for the psychological sciences. Materials will consist of: PowerPoint slides and an associated workbook containing psychology specific guidance on completing the DCC’s Data Management Planning Tool (DMPT), and a copy of the DMPT to be completed by students.

The lectures will be structured along the lines of the existing DCC DMPT with the eight key sections forming the centrepiece of six psychology specific lectures of up to two hours each. Guidance will be transferred to the online DMPT in collaboration with DCC.

Project methodology

• Project manager: responsibility for day-to-day activities, monitoring of progress, finances.
• Management team chair: academic adviser, operating independently of internal project team.
• Management team: academic advisor, possibly operating independently of internal project team and may or may not be a developer.
• Developer: development of training materials, field trailing, responsible for focus groups, production of workbook to accompany DCC Data Management Planning Tool (DMPT).

Anticipated outputs and outcomes

• Training unit for psychology postgraduates 
• Associated workbook containing psychology-specific guidance on completing the DMPT 
• Raise awareness in the psychological sciences of the need for research data management skills training 
• Foster collaboration between partner departments and centres of expertise in research data management 
• Deliver a number of engagement activities and events to launch the training materials 
• Gain an understanding of, and report on, the approaches of postgraduates in the psychological sciences to research data management 
• Work with key agencies to support the development and dissemination of training materials 
• Produce publicity materials for the training materials

Technology / Standards used

• Microsoft PowerPoint 
• Open Office Impress 
• Microsoft Word 
• Adobe Acrobat PDF 
• RSS 2.0