Accessibility of Research Data at Academic Institutions in Zimbabwe

Research Data Custodianship

Whyte, Jones and Pryor (2014) and Corrall (2012) observe that although roles and responsibilities in RDM have not yet been clearly spelt out, libraries and librarians are taking a leading role in assuming responsibility for research data. She points out that university librarians are participating in activities that assist researchers in accessing research data. Corrall (2012), however, notes that apart from librarians, there are other key players who have been involved in RDM; information and computer scientists, database and software engineers and programmers, disciplinary experts, curators and expert annotators and archivists. In the context of RDM, these professionals are collectively referred to as ‘data scientists’ and the same study also confirms collaboration amongst the various professionals in RDM (Corrall 2012:106). Some researchers however, continue to prefer keep research data themselves on their desktops, laptops and other devices at their disposal (Procter, Halfpenny and Voss 2012).

Findings from the survey show that researchers are primarily responsible for managing their own research data in academic institutions in Zimbabwe as shown in Figure 1; this is in line with what was stated by Procter, Halfpenny and Voss (2012). Figure 1 also shows that other stakeholders such as librarians, information technology personnel, research officers and records managers are also involved in RDM in Zimbabwe; RDM calls for a team effort to ensure that the data is accessible and reusable. Collaboration is also important to ensure that that there is no duplication of effort. The FAIR principle calls on the research community to ensure that research data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (GO FAIR International Support and Coordination Office 2018). The FAIR principle can only be applied if all stakeholders are involved in ensuring that data is archived correctly and securely.

Figure 1.

Research data management responsibilities