Dr. Cosima Wagner (University Library/Campus Library, Freie Universität Berlin)

In recent years research funding agencies like the DFG or the European Research Council (ERC) have highlighted the need for long-term archiving and accessibility of research data generated in publicly funded research projects:

“Research data is an essential foundation for scientific work. The diversity of this data reflects the wide range of different scientific disciplines, research interests and research methods. Research data might include measurement data, laboratory values, audiovisual information, texts, survey data, objects from collections, or samples that were created, developed or evaluated during scientific work. Methodical forms of testing such as questionnaires, software and simulations may also produce important results for scientific research and should therefore also be categorised as research data. The long-term archiving and accessibility of research data contributes to the traceability and quality of scientific work and enables researchers to carry on work begun by others” (DFG Guidelines on the Handling of Research Data 2015).

This links to the general discussion on long-term accessibility of “volatile” digital content like websites, Blog entries or databases as a key issue of (digital) scholarship in the 21^st century. While the preparation of data management plans has become a mandatory exercise when applying for public funds, a basic training on research data curation is not yet part of university curricula in Germany. The talk is intended to start a discussion on managing research data in general and in East Asian Studies PhD-projects in particular. The first part will be an introduction to the topic of research data management (RDM) and its relevance for East Asian Studies scholarship. In the second part, participants input on their experience with the management of research data and requests on further RDM support is highly appreciated.