Section outline

  • Course Overview

    This course equips you with an understanding of different data management practices, providing you with the tools and knowledge to manage your data effectively. It covers strategies for working with and organizing research data, and supports you in sharing your data securely, effectively, and in line with FAIR principles.

    Learning Outcomes

    This course will help you to:

    1. Recognize different types of research data, describe the importance of documenting your research, and evaluate why and when to use metadata
    2. Identify the benefits of data management and the sources of support, applying the best practices for successful data management
    3. Determine responsibilities for data management in a research team and share data applying the FAIR principles
    4. Formulate a data management plan and engage with data management planning tools, support, and guidance
    5. Employ the options available to you to safely store your data, and recognize the importance of data backups
    6. Describe what is meant by data integrity, and explain its importance
    7. Anonymize, encrypt, and destroy sensitive data when required for ethical reasons, and describe what is meant by data integrity
    8. Identify the perks of data sharing, both for personal growth and for advancing ideas and knowledge, and protect your data once published and shared by complying with data protection legislation
    9. Recognize the difference between copyright, license, and open access and how to control restrictions on your data

    • Course Instructor: Dr. Alessandra Vigilante

      • Dr. Alessandra Vigilante

        Dr. Alessandra Vigilante is a Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics at the Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine with a focus on genotype-phenotype interactions and data integration. Alessandra obtained her PhD in Bioinformatics in Naples (2008-2011) before moving to the UK to join the Nicholas Luscombe group first at the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute as a visiting student (2011-2012) and then as a postdoctoral fellow at UCL (2012-2017). Alessandra’s group has significant expertise and experience in the analysis and integration of large scale genomic, epigenomic and transcriptomic data (i.e., single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq datasets, ChIP-seq etc.), and in the implementation of novel computational methods for various bespoke analyses to gain biological insights. She is actively involved in a great network of collaborations to develop multidisciplinary approaches to research efforts, working with faculty members within King’s College and other research institutes.

        View Bio for Dr. Alessandra Vigilante

      • Course Resources

        You will need to access certain files and resources throughout the course to get the most out of the activities. You can find them all here.   

      • Video Transcripts

        You can access all video transcripts here.

      • Pre-Course Self Assessment

        Before you dive into this course, spend a few moments reflecting on your familiarity with the topic and your current level of skills confidence.  

        You will then re-visit the same questions in our Post-Course Self Assessment and reflect on how the course has helped you develop in confidence and grow your skills. 

        • Module One: Understanding the Different Types of Research Data

          This module will help you to: 

          1. Recognize different types of research data   
          2. Describe the importance of documenting your research 
          3. Evaluate why and when to use metadata   
          4. Distinguish between each step of the data life cycle 

        • Module Two: Data Management Principles and Best Practice

          This module will help you to: 

          1. Identify the benefits of data management   
          2. Determine responsibilities for data management in a research team   
          3. Identify sources of support for data management   
          4. Apply the best practices for successful data management  
          5. Share data applying the FAIR principles    
          6. Formulate a data management plan   

        • Module Three: Planning a Data Management Strategy

          This module will help you to: 

          1. Engage with data management planning tools, support, and guidance   
          2. Apply data file naming, renaming, and versioning conventions   
          3. Use electronic lab notebooks to support the collaborative research process   

        • Module Four: Storing Your Data Effectively

          This module will help you to: 

          1. Employ the options available to you to safely store your data 
          2. Recognize the importance of data backups   
          3. Describe what is meant by data integrity, and explain its importance 
          4. Anonymize, encrypt, and destroy sensitive data when required for ethical reasons 

        • Module Five: The Benefits of Sharing Data

          This module will help you to: 

          1. Identify the perks of data sharing, both for personal growth and for advancing ideas and knowledge 
          2. Protect your data once published and shared, by complying with data protection legislation   
          3. Recognize the difference between copyright, license, and open access, and how to control restrictions on your data   

        • References and Glossary of Key Terms

          In addition to the glossary you’ll find woven throughout the course, you can find the full glossary collated in one place here.  

        • Post-Course Self Assessment

          Now you’ve completed the course, spend a few moments reflecting on where your familiarity with the topics and your confidence skills levels are at now.  

          Has the course helped you develop new skills and grow your confidence? 

          You'll need to complete the Post-Course Self Assessment in order to download your certificate. If you didn't do the Pre-Course Self Assessment before starting the course, please go to the top of the page and reflect on your familiarity with the topic and your level of skills confidence before you started the course.

          • Completion: Certificate

            Completing all modules (plus the pre and post-course assessments) will unlock the course certificate, which you can then download here. Your course certificate will only be made available once you have completed all these sections.

            If you have difficulty accessing your certificate, please contact the Sage support team at: onlinesupport@sagepub.co.uk. You can also check out this FAQ page which may be helpful.

            • Give Feedback About This Course

              Did you enjoy the course? Please take two minutes to share your feedback. We use learner feedback in future course updates and developments to provide an excellent learning experience. 

            • Accessibility, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

              We have high standards of accessibility on Sage Campus and as of May/June 2024 all activities within this course are keyboard and screen reader compatible. For more details on accessibility standards, please see the Sage Campus Accessibility Guide.

              For those using assistive technology, please note that within this course:

              • Tab components: JAWS and NVDA behave slightly differently. For NVDA to keep reading, it is best to exit focus mode and go back to browse mode. 
              • Matching: JAWS does not read out question label on dropdown focus. 

              Additionally, please refer to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement which outlines our commitment to high standards of DEI on Sage Campus.