RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Is Democracy the Right System? Collaborative Approaches to Building an Engaged RDM Community
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 103895
DO 10.1101/103895
A1 Marta Teperek
A1 Rosie Higman
A1 Danny Kingsley
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/01/28/103895.abstract
AB When developing new products, tools or services, one always need to think about the end users to ensure a wide-spread adoption. While this applies equally to services developed at higher education institutions, sometimes these services are driven by policies and not by needs of end users. This policy-driven approach can prove challenging for building effective community engagement. The initial development of Research Data Management support services at the University of Cambridge was policy-driven and subsequently failed in the first instance to engage the community of researchers for whom these services were created.In this practice paper we will describe the initial approach undertaken at Cambridge when developing RDM services, the results of this approach and lessons learnt. We will then provide an overview of alternative, democratic strategies employed and their positive effects on community engagement. We will summarise by performing a cost-benefit analysis of the two approaches. This paper might be a useful case study for any institutions aiming to develop central support services for researchers, with conclusions applicable to the wide sector, and extending beyond Research Data Management services.