I have started reading up on research data management, trying to get a thorough understanding of the terminology used, formats available, and research data-related issues. One of the basic training tools I can really recommend is MANTRA. MANTRA is a self-paced online course covering the essentials of research data management, and is designed for doctoral students and other researchers. The course is open access and hosted online by the University Data Library of the University of Edinburgh.

Access the course here

Topics covered by the course include explaining research data, formats, documentation, metadata, storage, security, preservation, sharing and licensing.

The course includes a mini-test at the end of each section, enabling self-measurement of understanding and at the same time capturing the essential points of the chapter.

The short video-clips used in most chapters (mainly interviews with experienced researchers) add a welcome break from the fact-laden text, and, in case readers should battle with the Scottish accents, a transcript of the text is provided on the slide following the interview page!  Although able to view the video clips when first accessing MANTRA, I was not able to view the clips later on in the week….reason unknown. Good news is that the description of the interviewee as well as subject matter enabled me to find the same clip on YouYube!