How We Can Help
Whether online, in-person, or by phone, we can help you better manage your research data throughout the entire lifecycle of your project — from collecting to organizing and sharing. Our consultation areas include:
- Data management and sharing-related policies
- Writing a data management and sharing plan in DMPTool
- Selecting or publishing data in a data repository
- Curating data and software for reuse
- Data management practices and strategies (e.g., file naming, documentation, metadata)
- Data management tools (e.g., Open Science Framework, protocols.io)
- Using public data repositories and databases
Research Data Management
Harvard's Data Librarians provide personalized consultations to support researchers, labs, and departments across every stage of the research data lifecycle — from planning and data organization to dissemination and preservation. We work closely with research teams to address unique data management needs, design workflows, and implement recommended practices to ensure the usability and longevity of research data.
With access to a network of campus-wide disciplinary and technical specialists, we offer collaborative guidance and training, including data management and sharing plan reviews, reproducible workflow design, repository recommendations, and instructional sessions.
Data Sharing & Curation
Harvard's Data Librarians also offer data curation consultations to ensure that published research data meets FAIR guidelines — Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Our specialists provide tailored guidance on data organization, annotation, and repository selection, helping researchers prepare complete, well-documented, and accessible datasets that align with repository standards.
We also partner with departments and research teams on data-related projects. Engaging early in the research process is recommended for optimal data preservation and accessibility.