Research Data Management Practices, Benefits and Challenges of Researchers: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Research data management and sharing have grown increasingly important because of their important role in advancing science by building on prior work and utilizing data created by other researchers, which has become increasingly important. Therefore, the study aimed to systematically review the literature focusing on RDM practices, benefits and challenges faced by the researchers. To collect the relevant evidence, published literature was systematically reviewed by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The pertinent literature was obtained from four main scholarly databases and finally, 20 papers that met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Researchers are beginning to recognize the value of RDM, but few use it. Researchers in rich nations are more likely to use RDM procedures than those in underdeveloped countries. The finding revealed that researchers from diverse disciplines are practicing RDM to preserve and store their research data. The key benefits include data sharing, data reusing, collaboration between researchers, data preservation, data storage and backup facility. However, the key challenges include lack of time, finding appropriate resources, lack of awareness about the usage and copyright, quality assurance, technological limitations and lack of organizational support. The practical and policy implications highlight the joint venture of academia and library professionals to help the researchers to manage their research data effectively and overcome the challenges faced by the scholars in quality assurance and copyright issues.