Data Collection
My study focuses on Cleveland State University where data regarding students’ attitudes towards the use of social media to facilitate learning will be collected. Data consistency and quality will be guaranteed by ensuring that each respondent fills the questionnaire independently. It is crucial to appreciate that this data will be processed using SPSS. Findings will be interpreted to find out whether this strategy has been beneficial or counter-productive in relation to learners’ performance levels.
My research will rely on quantitative data that will be gathered using an electronic survey. This mode of data collection allows scholars to share questionnaires to as many interested respondents as possible using minimal financial resources (Briney, 2015). Hence, I will not need to approach individual students from Cleveland State University. However, it will be imperative for me to assure them that the information they give will not be divulged to unauthorized people or entities. SPSS will be utilized due to its effectiveness in helping to analyze quantitative data while ensuring its consistency and quality.
Documentation and Metadata
Documentation of data in an electronic notebook saved in several file types will accompany the above information-gathering and analysis steps. In this research, I will deploy README.txt files to facilitate documentation and reuse (Briney, 2015). Moreover, Excel (.xlsx) and word (.docx) files will be utilized widely to capture interviewees’ responses regarding their attitude towards the use of social media as a learning tool at Cleveland State University. Data stored electronically is expected to be less than 8GB. In my research, descriptive metadata that will go along with the data collected during the survey process will include the date a particular file was created, the time of modification, and the file size. Community metadata standards will not be required.
Ethics and Legal Compliance
Since I will utilize human subjects to respond to the electronic questions, it will be ethical to seek their permission by allowing them to fill a consent form at the beginning of the questionnaire. In case of underage students, I will seek their parents’ authorization. I will conceal their identity by discouraging them from indicating their names on the questionnaires. Data will be stored securely through VPN in password-protected files. Encryption will be applied to files containing sensitive information to ensure safe electronic transfer of data. I will own the IPR and copyright rights of any newly generated data. However, IPR and copyright rights of existing data will solely belong to the institutions responsible for its authorship (Fang, Lerner, & Wu, 2017). Data sharing will need to conform to the data protection Act and GDPR guidelines, which restrict me from using real participants’ names. Hence, I will comply with pseudonymization and encryption requirements.
Storage and Back Up
Data generated will be stored on my personal computer. This laptop will act as the base data storage. Pressing the “ctrl+S” button consistently is among the local guidelines, which help to ensure that data entered in the PC is stored appropriately. However, I will use Google Drive as a backup. Since my research will take at least one month to be completed, I will need to consistently update my Google Drive to guarantee the continuity of my study in case the laptop breaks down or is stolen (Briney, 2015). This strategy is part of the data management plan developed at the beginning of the study. My research is not exposed to major security threats. Hence, my data management plan is only limited to safe storage and controlled accessibility of information, including respondents’ sensitive data. As earlier mentioned, information sharing will have to adhere to the data protection Act and GDPR policies. This plan includes:
- Data recording
- Data arrangement
- Data storage and backup
- GDPR policy and data protection Act
Selection and Preservation
My research will contain data that is of long-term value, hence requiring appropriate preservation mechanisms. For instance, READMe.txt files containing students’ responses have a long-term value. Due to the possibility of current storage devices being incompatible with those that will be available in the future, I will need to transform my data into ordinary formats such as.txt or.tif (Briney, 2015). I will preserve backup copies of my dataset in an external hard drive. Both copies and original files will be stored safely in a cloud data repository where I can access and use it after four years.
Data Sharing
Data sharing will be done using GitHub. Deploying the GitHub repository will facilitate the sharing of data publicly for use by third parties. However, I will restrict what needs to be shared. Consequently, I will be solely responsible for preparing information that I deem appropriate for dissemination. Any questions regarding such data will be directed to me.
Responsibilities and Resources
Data management is a very critical aspect in the research process. According to Dunie (2017), it ensures that “data is available for future research and evaluation for the purposes of reproducibility, research integrity, further research, or challenge” (p. 356). Since I do not have any partners, I will be in charge of managing my research data. I will need to allocate some financial and time resources to deliver my data management plan. For example, I will be required to pay at least $2 per month for cloud storage services. I will also update my backup storage regularly to ensure data availability whenever needed. I will need one-week training by IT experts from Cleveland State University on how to retrieve data stored on cloud in case of breakdown or theft of my other storage media.
References
Briney, K. (2015). Data management for researchers: Organize, maintain and share your data for research success. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing.
Dunie, M. (2017). The importance of research data management: The value of electronic laboratory notebooks in the management of data integrity and data availability. Information Services & Use, 37(3), 355-359. Web.
Fang, L. H., Lerner, J., & Wu, C. (2017). Intellectual property rights protection, ownership, and innovation: Evidence from China. Review of Financial Studies, 30(7), 2446-2477. Web.