Evaluating your research data ensures its quality and reliability, so then it can be archived to ensure its long-term availability for future researchers.

Process of evaluating your data:

• Quality Assessment: Researchers must assess the quality and reliability of their data. This involves checking for accuracy, completeness, and consistency. Are the measurements precise? Is the data collected in a standardized manner?
• Validity and Reliability: Validity refers to whether the data measures what it claims to measure. Reliability pertains to the consistency of data over time or across different conditions.
• Ethical Considerations: Researchers should evaluate whether the data collection process adhered to ethical guidelines. Was informed consent obtained? Were privacy and confidentiality maintained?
• Documentation: Proper documentation ensures that others can understand and reproduce the research. Metadata (information about the data) is crucial for evaluation.

At the end of your project what data will be retained and what data will be destroyed? Research data needs to be kept for a minimum of five years and should be in a durable and retrievable format, stored in a safe and secure location. There is no requirement to dispose of research data. See the Charles Sturt's Research Data Management Guidelines for minimum retention requirements.

You will need to prepare your archival data for long-term storage and use a repository to store it in. Speak to your supervisor or School about where to archive your data. Sensitive data will need special consideration.

Processes in archiving Research Data:

• Long-Term Preservation: Archiving involves storing data for the long term. Researchers should choose appropriate repositories or archives to ensure data accessibility.
• Data Formats: Data should be archived in open, standardized formats to prevent obsolescence. Proprietary formats may become unreadable over time.
• Metadata: Archiving includes providing comprehensive metadata. This includes details about the data, its context, and how it was collected.
• Access Control: Researchers decide whether data should be openly accessible or restricted. Some data may have sensitive information that requires controlled access.

The Research Data Management Guidelines, clause 23, states that “all research data owned by the University and sufficient metadata is made available to the University within 12 months of completing the research activity”. You should ensure you have taken this action before your departure.