Digital Data Management for a New Generation

Abstract

These materials can be used in anthropology graduate research methods courses. They are designed to help instructors in teaching about data management as an integral component of research design and data collection. These materials are geared toward early training in best practices. Such practices ultimately support long-term management—including upload into digital data archives and institutional repositories—and facilitate data sharing where appropriate.

The materials consist of five modules: an introductory module and four modules organized around the four fields of anthropology.

The General module includes:

• What are data?
• What is data management?
• What are the advantages of making data accessible?
• What are ethical dimensions of data management?
• What is a data management plan?

The Archaeology module includes:

• Managing digital research data in a graduate project
• Research data and ethical codes of conduct
• Digital data in archaeology
• Why digitize physical data?
• Why deposit digital data?
• Data lifecycles and management plans

Data Management Plans: Carrasco | Kansa | Li | Sullivan

The Biological Anthropology module includes:

• Advantages for biological anthropology in data sharing
• Challenges for biological anthropology in data sharing
• Databases and considerations for various types of data
• Primary data compared to processed data

Data Management Plans: Boyer | Kamilar | Perry

The Cultural Anthropology module includes:

• Why is it important to preserve and protect your data?
• Data types in cultural anthropology
• Managing data
• Software
• Data archiving

Data Management Plans: Contreras | Fisher | Glass | Kuipers | Ryzweski

The Linguistic Anthropology module includes:

• Key data management practices
• Ensuring the future of your data and avoiding catastrophe
• The basics: Working with data
• What are our responsibilities?
• Archiving and re-use of data

Data Management Plans: Amith | Aronow and Okum

Expanded Materials