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The best backup strategy for your research data

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This technical note is written to serve as background and reference material for some of the data management courses, developed by ICRAF in collaboration with the Statistical Services Centre of the University of Reading. You can browse through or download the data management course at http://www.worldagroforestry.org/rsu Look under “Data Management”. The technical note is an updated version of “A Strategy against Data Disasters” (Buysse, 2001). We decided to put everything dealing with how to make a backup of research data into this first technical note, and to put all the things an average computer user should know about his computer into a second technical note. The first aim of the technical notes written by the Research Support Unit is to give some deeper background information on issues covered during training workshops and courses. We try however to write the technical notes in such a way that you can read it on your own without having to attend a data management course. The target audience are graduate and post-graduate students and researchers. We target mainly students and researchers working in the broad field of natural resources management. But most technical notes can be of use for researchers working in any discipline. We also target especially students and researchers working in a rather low-tech environment as can be found in many government research institutes and universities in developing countries. Typical for such an environment are low number of computers per person ratios, a large number of the available computers are not recent models, there is usually no Intranet and limited access to the Internet and as a result of all this, the computer skills of staff is underdeveloped. Usually there are no specialised IT people around. But anyhow, our advice is not to rely on the IT guys and girls when it comes to your research data. Making backups of your research data is your responsibility as much as all the other steps in the research project. Therefore the strategy you develop to backup and safeguard your research data is the best strategy.
    Publication year

    2005

    Authors

    Buysse W; Maina P

    Language

    English

    Keywords

    data management, information storage, information technology, research, technology

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