Research Roles and Responsibilities at United States Universities, as Seen in Institutional Data Management Policies

Abstract

Research data management’s goal is to make the process of collecting research data more organised, as well as balance the needs and requirements of a variety of stakeholders. These stakeholders include the organisations funding the research, the institutions employing the researchers, and the publishers. Typically, research has focused on funder and publisher data policies, but there has been relatively little work done on the content of institutional research data policies. They are worth examining because they cover all researchers working at a particular institution and can help identify institutional priorities. This paper examines how research data policies at R1 (doctoral, very high research output) universities in the United States assign roles and responsibilities to researchers and institutions, as well as what support is given to researchers. The analysis found discrepancies in how responsibilities were assigned, as well as a lack of enshrined institutional support structures for researchers. The paper concludes with recommendations on how universities can contextualise their policies to be more usable by both researchers and institutions, as well as how to incorporate specific support structures.