A Study on the Establishment of Enterprise-wide Research Data Management System

Abstract

The core of “Open Science”, which seeks open and shared research findings and processes, is research data. Open science policies based on research data have been introduced to government-funded research institutes, where research is conducted to assist in evidence-based policy making. However, unlike the case is with science and technology research institutes, the necessity and importance of research data management and openness are little discussed in economic and humanities research institutes. To enhance the value of research data and research efficiency and to highlight the need for open science policies in economic and humanities research institutes, this study attempted to establish a research data management system and a data use plan for the Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA). To this end, we analyzed policies, laws, and institutions related to open science that are in place in Korea and other countries. Also, some of KIHASA’s guidelines and some online sites were examined to identify the status and problems of its research data management. We also conducted online surveys to examine the status of survey data management at government-funded research institutes including KIHASA, and to understand perceptions of researchers toward the current status of research data management, data sharing, and data utilization. To activate the utilization of research data, first, it is necessary to benchmark or link with related organizations (online sites) such as MDIS (Microdata Integrated Service) of Statistics Korea and Korea Social Science Data Archive (KOSSDA) of Seoul National University. Second, there is a need to introduce an incentive system and support measures for data transfer and sharing, such as granting research scores and supporting human resources and budgets at the Research Council level. Third, ways need to be sought to encourage the use of survey data, by for example, holding paper contests for survey data users and posting lists of research projects that make use of the data on the website. Fourth, data utilization can be encouraged by providing a list of survey data available internally or externally. Fifth, in the case of commissioned research projects, it is necessary to promote management and provision of data through active discussion or a collective agreement with the ordering organizations. Sixth, it is necessary to form a consensus among researchers through continuous education and promotion. Lastly, data should be translated into English to meet the needs of non-Korean-speaking clients.