CODATA RDM Terminology (2023 version): overview

This document provides a human-readable overview of the updated RDM Terminology (RDMT) as revised by the CODATA RDM Terminology Working Group*, shared for public review, and then confirmed and finalised in 2023.  This version was made available in machine-actionable form in 2024 at https://vocabs.ardc.edu.au/viewById/685 (v001).

More information on the RDMT WG is available here: https://codata.org/initiatives/data-science-and-stewardship/rdm-terminology-wg/.

This human-readable guide to the CODATA RDM Terminology is provided with a single DOI for the entire Terminology to aid referencing.  Please note that the machine-actionable version of the Terminology includes referenceable URIs for each term, and notes on review decisions and sources.  The simple overview provided here is limited to a list of the revised Terminology until the machine-actionable version is available, for the convenience of the Terminology’s user community.  

(Please note that where, in this table, a term appears to lack a definition, this is because there is more than one meaning for this term. Please look to the following lines in the table for these various meanings and their definitions. Examples include "archive" and "catalogue", for instance.)

RDMT Scope:

The goal of this terminology is to gather the key terms needed for a common understanding of the research data management domain.

Research data management (RDM) refers to the storage, access and preservation of data created or collected in the course of research. Research data management practices cover the entire lifecycle of the data, from planning the investigation to conducting it, and from backing up data as it is created and used to long term preservation of data deliverables after the research investigation has concluded.

Definitions are intended to be clear and unambiguous, and where possible, fit with common usage. Definitions should be apposite across research data management activities of key stakeholders, including those working on research data management within the context of research, data management, digital curation and preservation, research management, research policy, open data advocacy, computer science, information management, research administration, library, scholarly publishing, digital archiving and research funding roles. Some terms may have more than one definition, in which case the relevant context should be specified.

If a consensus definition can be easily found elsewhere, the term is out of scope. This terminology is limited to the specific concepts necessary for a common understanding of RDM. This scope statement has been revised and approved by the 2021-22 RDM Terminology WG, and published in 2023.

Laura Molloy, CODATA

E: Laura AT codata.org

* Membership of the 2021-22 WG is as follows: Sharon McMeekin (Digital Preservation Coalition); Joanne Fitzpatrick (Lancaster University); Maria Praetzellis (California Digital Library); Ryan O’Connor (Digital Curation Centre); Mary Donaldson (University of Glasgow); Evy Neyens (Hasselt University); Tatiana Zaraiskaya (University of New Brunswick); Catherine Jones (Science and Technology Facilities Council UK); Jennifer Harris (Open Data Services Cooperative); Anup Kumar Das (Jawaharlal Nehru University); Helen Cooper (University of Kent); Antony Cooper (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research South Africa); Sridhar Gutam (ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research); Asha Law (CODATA); Rebecca Oldroyd (University College London); Nici Pfeiffer (Centre for Open Science); Laura Molloy (CODATA, convenor).