Required Data Management Training for Graduate Students in an Earth and Environmental Sciences Department

The increasing importance of data management in the sciences has led the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at a research intensive university to work closely with the Physical Sciences Librarian and Data Services Librarian on campus to provide mandatory training to its graduate students. Although integrating data management training into the graduate program curriculum may not be possible, there are still opportunities to ensure students learn such skills prior to graduating. This article describes the four approaches taken thus far — a seminar about basic data management during the department’s weekly seminar series, creation of a Data Profile form that students were asked to complete, an interactive workshop during the department’s annual retreat, and assistance with writing data management plans. Buy-in for requiring data management training was essential from both faculty and students and was possible because both groups understood the value of research data management skills. Also vital to the success of these approaches was how the subject specialist and data librarians leveraged their respective areas of expertise in a complementary fashion to address disciplinary as well as broader data-related concerns.