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Research Data Management: What are Research Data?

What are Research Data?

Type of research dataResearch data are factual records collected, observed or generated for analysis as well as producing and validating original research findings.​

Primary data are data that are collected first-hand by a researcher himself/herself, aiming to solve the research problem in focus.​

Secondary data are created for a purpose by others and made available for reuse, and now collected for another purpose.

Types of Research Data by Creation​

Data could be categorized according to the methods of creation:

Types of research data by creation​

1. Observational​

  • Data results from monitoring events and captured in real time, usually unique and irreplaceable​
  • Example: Types and numbers of butterflies in a region​

2. Experimental​

  • Data are produced in highly controlled environments, often reproducible, but can be expensive​
  • Example: Results from an experiment measuring the refraction of light​

3. Simulation

  • Data are generated from computer models where the models and codes may be more important than the output data from the model​
  • Example: Models and results from an astrophysical simulation​

4. Derived or compiled​

  • Data results from processing or transforming data from other sources for secondary use, often reproducible but expensive and time consuming​
  • Example: Creating statistical summaries of fields in an existing dataset​

Types of Research Data by Formats

Other than differentiating research data into either quantitative or qualitative data, research data could also be categorized according to its form:

Types of research data by formats

1. Text

Text data are usually documents which consist of words, sentences, or paragraphs of free-flowing text. They are usually less structured. Textual data include:

  • Questionnaires
  • Interview transcripts
  • Codebooks
  • Methodologies
  • Workflows
  • Standard operating procedures
  • Protocols

Data in textual formats could be in the following file formats: plain text, pdf, word, html, xml

2. Numeric

Numerical data, often referred to as quantitative data, are in the form of numbers, and not in any language or descriptive form. Numerical data include:

  • Survey responses
  • Spreadsheets
  • Instrument measurements
  • Geospatial information

Numeric data could be in the following file formats: Stata, SPSS, Excel, GIS

3. Audiovisual

Audiovisual data include:

  • Photographs
  • Maps
  • Audio recordings
  • Video recordings

File formats for audiovisual data include: jpeg, png, tiff, mp3, wav, mpeg, quicktime

4. Code

Code includes the software-specific code files to carry out data processing steps, as well as the development code.  It includes

  • Syntax
  • Source code
  • Algorithms
  • Scripts

Code could be in the following file formats: Python, Java, Stata, SPSS, R, MATLAB

5. Discipline Specific

Discipline specific data are broad and vary according to subjects. Examples of discipline specific data are:

  • Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) [Astronomy]
  • Sequence (FASTQ) [Bioinformatics]
  • Crystallographic Information File (CIF) [Chemistry]
  • GRIdded Binary (GRIB) [Meteorology]