Abstract:

The aim of this study is to examine the data literacy (DL) and research data management (RDM) awareness of Bulgarian university researchers. In 2016 the international research group for implementation of the Research Data Management Survey (RDMS) were established [1]. RDMS was conducted in three Bulgarian universities, namely: University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT) in March 2017, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (UCTM) in March 2018 and Konstantin Preslavsky University of Shumen (SHU) in May 2018. The general aggregation consists of 108 effectively surveyed lecturers and doctoral students.

We aimed our analysis at obtaining information on the differences in practices and perceptions across the subject disciplines of respondents – between representatives of the Social Science and Humanities (S/H Sciences) (ULSIT and SHU) and those from Natural and Engineering Sciences (N/Е Sciences) (UCTM). For the goals of this paper we interpreted the findings from purposely selected questions about data management literacy and familiarity with data management practices.

They examine what are the typical behaviours of university researchers from S/H Sciences and N/Е Sciences in the context of their preferences for:
• the file type and volume of data use for research;
• how they usually get and use the data for research;
• what type and volume of data they produced from research;
• data storage practices;
• and assign of additional information to the own research data.

In previous analyses, we examined the current state of data sharing and reuse perceptions, open access practices, metadata of datasets and the knowledge level about data management plans among the researchers [2].

The study, which found gaps in awareness and understanding of data management best practices, revealed the need for more research and training in all aspects of RDM for the surveyed population. The survey results find out some differences in practices and perceptions across the subject disciplines of respondents. These findings will be useful for preparation of learning content and methodology of training, according to the scientific field and specific requirements of the researchers. In connection of implementation of the National Plan for Development of the Initiative for Open Access in Bulgaria (2021-2025) they will be useful to design appropriate programs for data literacy, research data management and culture of sharing in the higher education system.

Keywords:

Data literacy, research data management, higher education, open access, Bulgaria.