University of Pittsburgh Library System

The University of Pittsburgh Library System offers support for many activities related to research data throughout the research lifecycle. Some examples of activities we assist with include developing computational skills for your research, finding and using the right tool for working with data, writing a data management plan for a grant, or looking for a place to deposit your data.

We offer consultations with individuals and small groups, workshops for the Pitt community, and trainings and presentations for classes and lab groups upon request.

Contact us to set up a consultation. You might also find a workshop that suits your need on our Events Calendar.

Working with Data and Code

Working with data is at the heart of research, and it takes many different forms. Perhaps you want to combine multiple sources of data for your project, or to analyze the text of a novel programmatically, or to produce a map or other visualization to accompany your written work. Our team is ready to help you acquire the skills and tools that you need to get the job done.

We can help you…

• Explore and interpret data
• Transform and clean your data using tools like Excel and OpenRefine
• Integrate multiple sources of data
• Visualize your data in charts, graphs, plots or other diagrams
• Critically interpret and analyze others’ visualizations and data-based findings
• Work with geospatial and textual data
• Manage your data or code to make working with a team easier and to ensure reproducibility
• Connect with other University of Pittsburgh services such as:
  • The Center for Research Computing
  • The Qualitative Data Analysis Program (QDAP) at UCSUR
  • The Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC) at UCSUR

Managing Your Data and Code

Data and code have ways of taking on lives of their own, especially when time and multiple collaborators are involved. Perhaps you’re also concerned about the reproducibility and replicability of your project. We’re here to assist with activities like data management planning and tools like version control software.

We can help you…

• Determine how to organize your project’s files
• Use version control (Git) in your projects
• Write a data management plan for a grant proposal
• Arrange for long-term preservation of your data or code
• Create effective documentation and metadata to make your data or code more reusable
• Comply with privacy and ethical requirements
• Document your protocols for replicability
• Find computing resources at Pitt
• Get data and code training for your lab or research team

Publishing and Sharing Your Data and Code

Are you looking for a place to share your data or code, perhaps as mandated by your publisher? If you’re preparing to share it, you’ll also want to make it easily findable and reusable. We’re here to help you sort through the options and get your data or code out there.

We can help you…

• Find repositories suitable for your data or code
• Deposit data or code in D-Scholarship@Pitt
• Describe your data or code for discoverability
• License your data or code for reuse, and make them easily citable
• Comply with sharing requirements from funders or publishers
• Promote your data or code

Finding and Reusing Data and Code

Knowing it’s out there is one thing, but finding it is another.

Are you looking for existing data or code that can integrated into your own research, or perhaps for a classroom assignment you’re designing? Once you’ve found it, are you unsure of exactly how you’re allowed to reuse shared data or code, or how to cite it?

We can help you…

• Find datasets for use in your research or classroom
• Locate and use civic data sources
• Use web APIs and scrape websites for information
• Learn to prepare print texts for digital analysis using our scanning and OCR stations
• Acquire and work with Library collection data
• Make sense of licensing for data or code
• Cite reused data or code

Learn more

To find more resources and learn more about Research Data Management, please visit our online guide.