Data, like love, can be searched in many places. Online, colleagues, acquaintances… The data can also be collected by yourself. Whatever the source, reliability is essential both in relationships and with data.
How do I know if my research data is reliable? The first question is, of course, whether it will be able to provide an answer to my research question. If the data was originally collected for another research purpose, then how does it serve my needs. Is there sufficient amount of data? How has the data been collected? What data collection method has been used? Was the research design adequate? Who or what has been studied in the project? Is it clear who collected the data? Is there a contact person who can give me further information about the data?
There are a lot of variables in both data and love. Disappointments are always miserable. Reliable data from a reliable source is the key thing in good research.
Reading:
- Kupferschmidt, K. (2018) Researcher at the center of an epic fraud remains an enigma to those who exposed him. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav1079
The Research Data Services celebrate the international Love Data Week in 14.2.-18.2.2022. In matters relating to research data management, contact our experts on data love researchdata@tuni.fi
Background image: Luca Ambrosi on Unsplash
