Sharing Data on RDS: Tactics

Sharing Data on RDS: Tactics

Below are probing questions sets organized by stakeholder group to figure out where / why you may want to use this RDS platform. Reach out to aokune[at]uci[dot]edu once you have a better sense of what and why you might want to use RDS for and to get started with log-ins and a technical tutorial (you can also begin with this technical onboarding material here).

You participated in a research project (i.e. you were interviewed):

• Ask how the person who interviewed you plans to store and share the data from the interview. Will they share it with you? How? When? Where will the data be kept? Under what kind of copyright? Can you use it for your own purposes and what information would they like from you if you do? You can point them to this site as one possible way to contribute towards a public ethnographic data commons.

You interviewed someone else and are the main/only stakeholder:

• Have you received consent from participants to share the data publically? (See example signature page of an IRB consent form that include language explicitly asking participants for their sharing preferences)
• Why are you interested in using RDS? (this brief write-up by Otsuki (2018) offers some ideas for how to think about PECE software.) Are you interested in using RDS as a workspace to analyze and visualize your data?; as an archival space to contribute towards a digital knowledge commons?; as an exhibit or publication to better display and/or share your insights and learnings?; as an alternative writing venue that can also link to data and nest multiple analytic layers?

You were subcontracted to interview others (perhaps as a research assistant, collaborator, or consultant):

• Have you had an explicit conversation about the data policy of the person/organization who subcontracted you? (See some examples of other data policies here). Is the organization interested in publishing the data openly? If so, have they already identified a site that can do so?
• If no, you can point them to this page as one possible site to contribute towards a public ethnographic data commons.
• If yes, note, that even if a more traditional data archive service is to be used, a "trace" of the project can be also archived here that points to the full data archive elsewhere (for increased visibility and discoverability).

Options to Consider:

• You could post a summary about the project/context under which the data was collected. No data published openly on the platform but if someone wants to learn more or ask for access to the data, they can email/reach out.
• You could post a copy of your final (or midterm) report. No data published openly on the platform but key insights and findings shared.
• You could publish a few of the data artifacts (e.g. media article; interview audio or transcript; image; fieldnote) used in your research to build up the Research Data Share commons. Others can use these materials in their own investigations or you could also circulate the materials (to interlocutors; peers; advisors; others) to solicit collaborative review/analysis.
• You could publish a comprehensive archive of the data generated through your project to enable others to build off of the work you have done/reanalyze.