Data preservation,sharing and reuse among graduate students in Ghana

Abstract

This study, as part of a bigger study, investigates research data management (RDM) practices among graduate students at four universities, two public and two private, in Ghana: Central University, Catholic University of Ghana, University of Mines and Technology, and University of Cape Coast. The study aims to assess approaches to research data preservation, sharing, and reuse, with the goal of understanding how Ghanaian graduate students manage their research data. Using a mixed-method approach, data were collected from 300 respondents through questionnaires and interviews. The analysis revealed that the majority of graduate students prefer to store their research data on personal devices such as PCs and laptops, with cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox also being popular. Despite recognising the benefits of data sharing and reuse, most respondents were reluctant to share their data, primarily due to concerns over intellectual property, competitive advantage in publishing, and the perceived effort involved in data sharing. The study concludes that while there is an understanding of the importance of data management, actual practices are limited by significant barriers. The study recommends that Ghanaian universities revise their RDM policies to address issues such as data storage, sharing, and reuse, and suggests that institutions should provide incentives for data sharing to promote a culture of transparency and collaboration in research.