Applications of Research Data Management at GESIS Data Archive for the Social Sciences

Abstract

The chapter "Applications of Research Data Management at GESIS Data Archive for the Social Sciences" explores ways in which an archive - i.e. an organization whose work has a strong focus on preservation and dissemination of digital data - can become involved in research data management (RDM). The Data Archive looks back on a long history of working with researchers to make their data re-usable and accessible since 1960. Today it provides support for Research Data Management across the entire data lifecycle by offering a wide range of tools and services tailored to the needs of different types of stakeholders. The chapter gives an overview of selected tools and services offered in the areas of metadata and data documentation, data preparation, data publication, and long-term preservation. To illustrate how support for research data management plays out in different settings, three case studies for typical scenarios are presented: 1) The European Values Survey (EVS), a large international longitudinal survey studying basic human values across Europe. 2) The German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES), a national survey program with a comprehensive approach to gain insights into the German federal elections. 3) A data center in the health sector which decided to make data originally collected to support policy-making available to research.