---
type: concept
title: Research Data Management
tags: [research, data-governance, sustainability, rdm, data-lifecycle, physical-data, digital-data, data-management, fdm]
related: [daten-management-plan-dmp, universitatsrechenzentrum-urz, ckan, dfg, schwedische-landesaufnahme-von-pommern, arnoldisches-obst-cabinet, data-and-metadata-standards, nationale-forschungsdaten-infrastruktur-nfdi]
created: 2026-06-30
updated: 2026-06-30
sources: ["output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_studium_lehre_forschungsdaten_managen.md", "output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_studium_lehre_forschungsdaten_managen_ueber_forschu.md", "output/rz_uni_greifswald_de_dienste_studium_lehre_thementag_forschungsdaten_2022_themen.md"]
---

# Research Data Management (Forschungsdatenmanagement)

Research Data Management (RDM), or **Forschungsdatenmanagement (FDM)**, is the strategic process of organizing, documenting, and preserving research data throughout its entire lifecycle to ensure its quality, reproducibility, longevity, and long-term accessibility. It has become a central theme in German science and higher education policy.

While modern RDM often focuses on digital tools (such as [[ckan]] and [[dfg]] guidelines), it encompasses all forms of research data, including physical artifacts.

## The Data Lifecycle
Research data passes through a "lifecycle" starting from initial collection and storage, moving through analysis, and ending in either publication in a repository or long-term archiving.

### Physical vs. Digital Data Lifecycle
The distinction between raw, primary, and secondary data can be applied to both digital and non-digital sources:

| Data Type | Digital Example | Physical Example (Land Survey) | Physical Example (Pomology) |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Raw Data** | Sensor logs, raw CSVs | Field sketches | Natural fruit specimens |
| **Primary Data** | Cleaned datasets, DBs | Original/Final maps | Porcelain models |
| **Secondary Data** | Analysis reports, papers | Calculation volumes | Research publications |

## Core Components

### Planning and Documentation
- **Planning**: The use of a [[daten-management-plan-dmp]] early in a project to plan collection and structured filing.
- **Metadata Documentation**: The primary factor determining the quality of research data. The application of [[data-and-metadata-standards]] ensures that data is searchable, citable, discoverable, and usable by others.

### Storage and Publication
- **Digital Repositories**: Systems used for the accumulation and evaluation of research data. These are increasingly required for high-quality academic publications and are used to enable new digital teaching forms in e-learning.
- **Publication**: The use of specialized repositories to make data reusable for other researchers.

### Sustainability and Preservation
- **Sustainability**: The requirement that data and the systems hosting them remain functional and accessible beyond the initial funding period of a project.
- **Digital Preservation**: Focuses on bit-rot prevention, format migration, and redundant storage.
- **Physical Preservation**: Focuses on archival-conservation measures (e.g., climate control, material stabilization) to prevent physical decay.
- **Access**: Modern RDM aims to provide digital access to physical data through digitization and metadata linking.

## Disciplinary Applications
- **Natural Sciences**: Often involves "Big Data"—the generation and use of massive amounts of digital data.
- **Humanities**: Characterized by **Digital Humanities**, which integrate qualitative hermeneutic methods with digital procedures.

## Institutional and National Context

### Context in Germany
FDM is increasingly integrated into funding requirements, meaning researchers often encounter these requirements specifically during third-party funded projects. The [[nationale-forschungsdaten-infrastruktur-nfdi]] provides the overarching national framework to support these activities.

### Institutional Support
At the Universität Greifswald, the [[universitatsrechenzentrum-urz]] provides the technical infrastructure and professional training necessary to implement RDM according to disciplinary needs and funding guidelines.