Research Lifecycle
The research lifecycle encompasses the full journey of scholarly inquiry—from the initial idea to the dissemination and preservation of results. OU Libraries supports researchers at every stage with expert consultants, services, and platforms.
Data Collection & Analysis
Publication & Sharing
Planning & Design
Start your research with a strong foundation. OU Libraries offers guidance on developing data management strategies, identifying workflows, and preparing for ethical and reproducible research.
Key Services:
- Research Survival Skills Guide: Read through a guide we’ve put together to help you learn skills to make your research more efficient.
- Research Data Management Services: Schedule consultations with data specialists for help with planning, tools, and compliance.
- Data Management Plans: Learn how to create a DMP that meets funder requirements and ensures long-term data stewardship.
- DMPTool: The helps researchers create DMPs and offers guidance for specific funders who require DMPs. Login with your OUNetID.
- ORCID: Claim your unique researcher ID to ensure proper attribution and streamline reporting. OU is a member of ORCID as part of a consortium formed by the Greater Western Library Alliance.
- Open Science Framework (OSF): Researchers use OSF to collaborate, document, archive, share, and register research projects, materials, and data. As a workflow system, OSF enables connections to the many tools and products researchers already use, streamlining their process and increasing efficiency.
Data Collection & Analysis
During active research, OU Libraries supports data acquisition, organization, and analysis through consultations, workshops, and tools.
Key Services:
- Digital Scholarship & Data Services: Get help with data visualization, informatics, and digital tools.
- Software & Data Carpentry Workshops: Learn foundational skills in data cleaning, analysis, coding, and more.
- README.txt File Guide: Create documentation to make your datasets understandable and reusable using README.txt files.
Publication & Sharing
Make your research outputs discoverable and citable. OU Libraries provides platforms and services to share data, publications, and other scholarly materials.
Key Services:
- Sharing Research Datasets: Learn how to choose the right repository and prepare your data for sharing by scheduling a consultation with us. OU researchers and authors are encouraged to share their research data and supplemental outputs in an open access discipline-specific data repository to facilitate the transparency and reproducibility of research.
- DOIs for Digital Assets: Mint DOIs for datasets, software, and other digital outputs to ensure persistent access and citation. DOI requests can be made through consultation by contacting our research data specialist.
- SHAREOK Institutional Repository: Deposit theses, articles, and other scholarly works to increase visibility and meet open access requirements.
- Dryad: Deposit datasets in a trusted repository with professional curation and DOI assignment. OU became an institutional member in 2024 through a consortium hosted by the Greater Western Library Association.
Preservation & Impact
Ensure your research remains accessible and impactful over time. OU Libraries helps you preserve your work and track its influence.
Key Services:
- SHAREOK: Long-term preservation of scholarly outputs with permanent URLs and usage metrics.
- ORCID Integration: Automatically link your outputs to your researcher profile for better discoverability.
- Research impact metrics: Our librarians offer a Spring workshop: Your Impact Matters: Research Impact Metrics for Your Dossier
We’ve organized our support into four key phases inspired by the CU Boulder CRDDS model.