Securely Managing and Publishing Sensitive Data

Feb 8, 2023

10:30 am TO 11:30 am

Are you working with environmental, commercial, health, personal, or other sensitive data? Are you unsure whether your data is sensitive and unclear on what you need your responsibilities are for managing it?

In this workshop, we will discuss the foundations of working with sensitive data including how to protect your data, your research participants, and yourself. We'll take about how and when to de-identify sensitive data, and how to share sensitive data.

*Presented by Isaac Pratt (Research Data Management Specialist). This is a virtual session. Dr. Pratt's presentation will be recorded and shared on the Sherman Centre's website. The Q&A will not be recorded or shared. 

What are ORCiDs and DOIs—and Why Do I Need Them?

Feb 15, 2023

10:30 am TO 11:30 am

We’ve all seen a 404-error message, trying to access an old hyperlink. Link rot happens when a site is removed or a URL stops pointing to the right location. Persistent identifiers (PIDs) are reference links that can never rot and are increasingly important in an interconnected research world!

While some fields and researchers have actively incorporated PIDs for many years now, others rely on interpersonal networks and personal websites to connect their research. This workshop will give you skills to augment those important connections with PIDs.

Some might have received a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for an article published in a journal, but they can also be used to share data (field notes, methods, audio recordings, code), connected to a website, or associated with an artwork. An Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCiD) is a unique link where you can connect to all your expansive scholarly output—datasets, articles, exhibitions, projects, interviews, education, residencies, and more.

Used together, PIDs can help you find new collaborators across disciplines, recognize the breadth of your work beyond journals, and allow you to connect to your research practice over time.

*Presented by Jeffrey Demaine (Bibliometrics and Research Impact Librarian) and Danica Evering (Research Data Management Specialist). This virtual event will be recorded and shared on the Sherman Centre's website. 

Before You Dig: Finding and Reusing Datasets

Mar 15, 2023

10:30 am TO 11:30 am

Are you starting a research project? There may be existing datasets that could inform the work you're doing and ensure you're digging into new research areas. Along with systematic literature review and active participation in your field, a dataset search is another tool to inform your research context.

Join McMaster RDM Services to learn more about finding and reusing datasets in data repositories across the world. Find potential new collaborators, verify or reproduce results, expand on existing data, and more!

*Presented by RDM Specialists Danica Evering and Isaac Pratt. This session will be recorded and shared on the Sherman Centre's website. 

Qualitative Data: Practices for RDM Planning and Sharing

Apr 5, 2023

10:30 am TO 11:30 am

Qualitative methods let us share nuanced interpretations of multifaceted issues. They let us understand lived experiences and motivations, see a research question from different standpoints, and highlight contexts. Qualitative research data can take the form of interview transcripts, oral histories, focus groups, field notes, audio, video, and more. Some qualitative researchers are accustomed to research data management (RDM) and data sharing, while others are less familiar.

This workshop welcomes both groups to learn about best practices and considerations for managing and sharing quantitative data. We’ll start with practical skills and workflows, and then move on to a discussion about hesitations and urgencies. Qualitative research often grows out of relationships of trust, and information is deeply contextual, making data sharing sticky. However, communities are often approached by different researchers for similar information, and data sharing can also help alleviate research fatigue. Let’s learn and unpack together!

*Presented by Danica Evering (Research Data Management Specialist). The virtual presentation by Danica Evering will be recorded and shared on the Sherman Centre's website. The discussion section of the event, however, will NOT be recorded or shared. 

Version Control with Git

Apr 11, 2023

2:30 pm TO 3:30 pm

Come learn about git! Git is a version control system widely used in software engineering, academia, and anywhere where projects need reliable and granular versioning -- especially when the projects need to scale to thousands of contributors. You'll learn the basics of working with git repositories, how to pull new repositories from sites like Github, and more.

*Presented by John Fink (Digital Scholarship Librarian). This virtual workshop will be recorded and shared on the Sherman Centre's website.