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Title Research data management practices at the University of Namibia: moving towards adoption
Full text http://hdl.handle.net/11070/3723
Date 2022
Author(s) Samupwa, Astrida N.; Kahn, Michelle
Abstract The management of research data in academic institutions is increasing across most disciplines. In Namibia, the requirement to manage research data, making it available for the purposes of sharing, preservation and to support research findings, has not yet been mandated. At the University of Namibia (UNAM) there is no institutional research datamanagement (RDM) culture, yet RDM may nevertheless be practiced among itsresearchers. The extent to which these practices have been adopted is, however, not known.This study investigated the extent of RDM adoption by researchers at UNAM. It identifiescurrent or potential challenges in managing research data, and proposes solutions to someof these challenges that could aid the university as it attempts to encourage the adoption ofRDM practices. The investigation used Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory, witha focus on the innovation-decision process, as a means to establish where UNAM researchers are in the process of adopting RDM practices. The population under study were the UNAM faculty members who conduct research as part of their academic duties.Questionnaires were used to gather quantitative data. The study found that someresearchers practice RDM to some extent out of their own free will, but there are manychallenges that hinder these practices. Overall, though, there is a lack of interest in RDMas the knowledge of the concept among researchers is relatively low. The study found thatmost researchers were at the knowledge stage of the innovation-decision process andrecommended, among other things, that the university puts effort into creating RDMawareness and encouraging data sharing, and that it moves forward with infrastructure andpolicy development so that RDM can be fully adopted by the researchers of the institution
Subject(s) Research data management Practices; Policy development; UNAM researchers; Curation of data; Preservation; RDM
Language en
Publisher International journal of digital curation (IJDC)
Type of publication Article
Source https://ijdc-test.journals.ed.ac.uk/ijdc/article/view/769/649
Repository Windhoek - University of Namibia
Added to C-A: 2023-09-04;09:21:19