Data from a three-phase Delphi study used to investigate Knowledge Infrastructure for Research Data in Norway, KIRDN_Data; PhD project

A modified three-phase Delphi study was used to explore the knowledge infrastructure for research data in Norway. The study includes different stakeholders involved in research data sharing. A Delphi study is characterised by the use of an expert panel to elicit opinions on a shared reality from different perspectives. Data collection is performed in several rounds with the intention of reaching consensus or solving an issue. 

A group of 24 experts took part in the study. The group consisted of policy-makers, representatives of national service providers, and researchers and research support staff from four Norwegian universities. The participants were invited based on their involvement in the development of policies, infrastructure or data-related research support. The research support staff were recruited to include representatives from different research support services at the universities, including libraries, research offices and IT departments. While the researchers were selected from based on their receival of EU funding with requirements of data management plans.

Data were collected in three phases. The first phase, the ‘exploration phase’, was conducted using open interviews lasting approximately one hour in January/February 2018. The purpose of this phase was to obtain an initial overview of the panel members opinions’ on issues regarding research data management.

In the second phase, the ‘evaluation phase’, conducted in August/September 2018, participants answered a survey containing nine questions on topics such as data stewardship, DMPs, ethical aspects of data sharing and core functions in a research data infrastructure. The survey was designed to further explore issues and tensions uncovered in the first interviews. Several of the questions were formulated as statements that the participants were asked to agree or disagree upon. 

The third, ‘concluding phase’ was conducted using interviews in March/April 2019. These interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes and were based on results from the questionnaire as well as the first interview. Participants were asked whether they had thoughts on the preliminary findings of the study. 

Based on requests from some of the participants, the questions were sent to all participants prior to the data collection, in all three phases. The participants were also sent the transcripts from the interviews and were asked for permission to share the complete material or parts of the data material to which they contributed.