Which data skills are the most important for postdocs to have? What are the nuts and bolts of managing data on a daily basis? How do good data practices lead to more efficient and impactful research?

Data Literacy for Postdocs is a set of two 90-minute workshops to help postdocs develop skills in research data management and curation. While the workshops stand alone, taking both parts will give you an overview of the data literacy skills required of the 21st century researcher. Most major funders now require the submission of a Data Management Plan in any grant proposal, and completing both workshops will give you the information you need to complete one successfully. The workshops will help increase the efficiency and impact of your work by guiding you through best practices that address common pitfalls and touch on often-neglected aspects of academic research.

Part 1: Data Management for Postdocs

The first workshop will focus on the initial stages of a research project set in the larger context of the research data lifecycle – how to find, evaluate, and use existing data; and best practices for managing and documenting data on a daily basis. The workshop will include hands-on exercises on using the using the Open Science Framework (OSF), a collaboration and data management tool, and developing a data management plan using the DMP Tool. 

Part 2: Data Curation for Postdocs

The second workshop will focus on the later stages of the research data lifecycle including disciplinary practices around data in your field. Topics will include privacy and sensitive data issues; archiving, sharing and publishing data using open data formats; and sharing code or software to make your data reproducible. The workshop will include a range of hands-on exercises on several of these topics. 

The target audience is postdocs, but the workshop is open to researchers, faculty, and motivated graduate students as well.