Project Info

Tools and Workflows: Managing Research Information in Science and Engineering

In this connected world, a vast ecosystem of digital tools and platforms is enabling scientists and engineers to revolutionize the research and publishing workflows. Good software tools and best practices for organizing and managing research information will enhance the efficiency, reproducibility, and impact of research. This project will investigate available systems (e.g. research information management system, scholarly networking and profiling system, electronic lab notebooks, programming and data analysis tools, authoring and publishing tools, and research project management system etc.) and campus needs via literature review, survey instruments, interviews, data analysis, and cases studies. Collaborating with research groups on campus, the team will present white papers, research articles, best practice recommendations, guide pages, workshops, and tutorial videos to facilitate the adoption of the selected systems and best practices across Mines campus. The result of the research and development work will directly benefit the Mines community.

More Information

1. Overview of changing research workflows – Innovations in Scholarly Communication: Changing Research Workflows. (2018). Retrieved from https://101innovations.wordpress.com/

2. Research information management systems – Schonfeld, R. C. (2018). Big Deal: Should Universities Outsource More Core Research Infrastructure? IThaka R+S, Retrieved from http://www.sr.ithaka.org/publications/big-deal-research-infrastructure/

3. Electronic Lab Notebooks – Sayre, F. D., Bakker, C. J., Johnston, L. R., Kocher, M., Lafferty, M., & Kelly, J. A. (2017). Where in Academia are ELNs? Support for Electronic Lab Notebooks at Top American Research Universities. Paper presented at the Association of College & Research Library (ACRL) 2017 Conference. Presentation retrieved from https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/185419

4. Tools for reproducible research – Perkel, J. M. (2018). Data visualization tools drive interactivity and reproducibility in online publishing. Nature, 554(7690), 133. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-01322-9

Gandrud, C. (2016). Reproducible Research with R and R Studio, Second Edition. https://englianhu.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/reproducible-research-with-r-and-studio-2nd-editio

Grand Engineering: Not applicable

Student Preparation

Qualifications

Basic computer science knowledge.

Time Commitment

20-40 hours/month

Skills/Techniques Gained

• In-depth understanding of research information ecosystem and workflow

• Programming and data analysis skills with open-source script-based tools (e.g. R, python etc.)

• Design and implement survey to investigate technology and research needs

• Scientific communication skills including writing, presenting, making video tutorials etc.

Mentoring Plan

I will have one-on-one weekly meeting for the student to ask questions, discuss and understand the next steps, and review progresses. I am available via email or phone call anytime to address any questions the student has. The students can attend workshops I host for graduate students or request individual trainings from me to learn techniques and concepts needed for the project. We will also share readings and resources via a Mendeley group and keep track of our action plans via Trello. I am happy to provide research and career advice beyond this particular project too.