CESSDA Training has published a new chapter in the CESSDA Data Management Expert Guide (DMEG). It is dedicated to the discovery of research data that are available via data archives and other data repositories in and outside Europe.

The seventh chapter of the guide is called "Discover" and it is intended to help those who want to find and reuse research data shared by other researchers. The chapter takes readers through the steps of the data discovery process, from developing a clear picture of the data to evaluating data quality. As in the other chapters of the DMEG, Discover presents several "Expert tips", recommendations made by researchers and archivists that address specific, less apparent points.

The special feature in this chapter is the inclusion of "data stories" of real researchers who narrate the path they have walked from the initial idea to actually working with discovered data.

One story is about an economist who needs international comparative data on work orientations and explains how she discovered and accessed the data. Another story from a real researcher covers the finding of, access to and use of data for a replication study.

“We wanted the chapter to be helpful to those who need data for their research. This is why we included as many practical tips and straightforward information as we could,” said Dr. Jindřich Krejčí of the Czech Social Science Data Archive (CSDA), the CESSDA service provider responsible for the delivery of the Discovery chapter.

The chapter includes curated lists of different types of social science data sources in Europe and around the world. Special attention is dedicated to key European data resources for research related to ageing and its effects on individuals and society. The rich directory of international surveys will help those who look for data for comparative quantitative research.

The seventh chapter also presents a list of the most relevant data archives in Europe, that means not only the CESSDA archives but also those who have not yet entered the consortium of CESSDA service providers. A list of selected non-European archives is also available together with information about other important data repositories in Europe and across the world.

The CSDA team is currently preparing a webinar dedicated to the data discovery that will be based on the Discovery chapter. It will provide the audience with basic knowledge on data discovery and on the usage of secondary data for analysis. The webinar will most likely be held in April 2019.

Find out more

Visit the CESSDA Data Management Expert Guide (DMEG).