RDM skills
Research data skills are critical in RDM since they give researchers, research librarians, and other stakeholders the ability to comfortably execute RDM activities, allowing them to manage research data throughout the data life cycle (Jisc 2020). According to (Monash University 2020), obligatory skills for RDM include skills in data curation activities, skills in sharing and showcasing research data, data discovery and retrieval, skills in formulation of data management plans, and skills in metadata creation. The (University of York 2020) identified skills in data curation activities, skills in the data management plan, skills in metadata creation and documentation, and research data storage and security skills as skills essential in RDM. According to (The University of Edinburgh 2020), research data skills can be imparted to researchers through training in online courses, classroom workshops, and seminars.
Consequently, the study investigated the RDM skills possessed by researchers at the MGGL. Study findings showed that the majority of the respondents, 147(44.5%), possessed less skills in RDM activities such as metadata creation, research data discovery and retrieval, research data capture, research data preservation and sharing, and RDM information technologies, and RDM collaborative networks. In comparison, a slightly smaller number (142(43%) thought their skills were average. A very small number of 34 (10.3%) indicated that they had skills in RDM activities. These findings were equally validated by interviewees and are in tandem with (Pinfield 2017), who established that most researchers lacked or had meager skills in RDM activities such as data discovery and retrieval, data curation, metadata creation, and documentation, document sharing, and data management. The study concluded that there was an urgent need to enhance and improve researchers’ skills through incessant RDM training programs and proactive advocacy.
Furthermore, (Tenopir et al. 2017) pointed out that research institutions were responsible for imparting researchers with RDM skills in data curation, data management and planning, metadata creation and documentation, and data discovery and retrieval through ongoing educational programs and training. (Tenopir et al. 2017) mentioned that research librarians could directly participate with researchers in their projects to improve their levels of engagement and hands-on experiences.