Abstract
Data sharing and information exchange can greatly enhance the reproducibility, utility, and power of research work. Distressingly, however, publicly shared datasets across are often compromised in terms of their completeness and reusability.
We discuss and address this limitation by focusing on the opportunity to provide early awareness, experience and training for students in positive data management behaviours. We showcase the development and implementation of LUSTRE, the Lancaster University STatistics REsource. This student project data management system is designed to help appreciate and deploy open science practices amongst (masters or undergraduate) psychology students working with empirical data. LUSTRE is an open source, online data catalogue system, that attempts to capture key data management information about a student research project.
We explain how LUSTRE contributes to the student research project workflow from conception to submission. We discuss and evaluate the benefits of LUSTRE from the perspective of (a) a tool for engaging in realistic data analysis for students and staff; (b) a framework for students to appreciate data management, archiving standards, and open science; (c) a project information tool.
Speaker Bio
John Towse is an experimental psychologist with broad interests from cognitive flexibility in pre-schoolers to susceptibility to phishing fraud among adults. He is a founding member of PROSPR (PRomoting Open Science Practices) as an open science support group within his department, and founder and former Editor-in-Chief of the interdisciplinary Journal of Numerical Cognition, a platinum Open Access journal launched in 2015. He holds a personal chair in Psychology at Lancaster University.
Rob Davies is committed to learning about and teaching transparent and open psychological science practice. He is interested in mapping the diversity of cognition in how people respond to text in reading, and has contributed to the development of guidelines for working with linear mixed-effects modelling. He has been sharing data and code with his research papers since 2013. He is a senior lecturer, and is a member of PROSPR (PRomoting Open Science Practices) as an open science support group within his department.
Rebecca James is a final-year psychology student currently contributing to the LUSTRE project as part of a research internship programme at Lancaster University.
Ellie Ball is a final year undergraduate psychology student currently contributing to the LUSTRE project as part of a research internship programme at Lancaster University.