Managing data - integrity and analysis
Maintaining the integrity of your dataset is a critical component of research practice. Each discipline will have different research methods, and each of these methods will generate data in some form. If the research is primarily based on quantitative data it is essential to consider the form in which it is stored and managed. Similarly, qualitative methods require care in the maintenance of files and the data format.
NVivo 7 is a research information management tool and is now available to Macquarie students and staff. It is available for download from the myMQ student portal.
Candidate
Once the research question has been considered, the data required for the research project will be evident. Discuss the scope and parameters of the forms of data you need, and how that data will be stored. Generally, data needs to be stored for a minimum of five years following the conclusion of the study. It is then possible to check on the accuracy of the data and verify your findings if you need to. Ensure that your electronic files of data are sensibly and consistently labelled. Make regular backups of your data and burn a CD of the definitive set (if appropriate). Remember that if you are making changes to aspects of the data set that you record what the changes are, when you made them, and the reason for it.
Principal supervisor
Encourage your students to keep their data safe, backed up and copied. It is important that original data is kept securely for later verification purposes. In some instances the nature of the data may be confidential and it is important to ensure that candidates have access to a secure storage site. It is a good idea to show candidates how to manage their data early in their candidacy to ensure that the analytic phase starts smoothly.