Research Data Footprints Guide

The Footprints Help Guide is designed to enable users of Deakin Research Data Footprints to work through the various stages of creating, managing and reviewing both data management plans and research data descriptions, using the Footprints Researcher Dashboard .

Logging in to Deakin Research Data Footprints

You can access the Deakin Research Data Footprints application via the following URL:
http://research-data.deakin.edu.au/footprints

A screen requesting login details will appear. Click the 'login' link under 'Login with Deakin Credentials' to access the Researcher Dashboard in Deakin Research Data Footprints using Deakin's Single Sign on.

Researcher Dashboard

The Researcher Dashboard is a landing page for Deakin Research Data Footprints. The dashboard allows you to create new data management plans and data collection descriptions using the links on the left hand side of the page.

The dashboard also shows any data management plans or data collection descriptions that you have created, edited or submitted.

Creating a data collection description

To create a data collection description from scratch (ie not from an existing Data Management Plan):

1. Log into Deakin Research Data Footprints using the steps outlined in the previous section.
2. From the Researcher Dashboard (note previous section), click on 'Create a data description'
3. You will be presented with an introduction screen.
4. Clicking 'next' opens the first of a series of screens that you can enter your descriptions in. Mandatory fields are marked with an (*)
5. After completing the mandatory fields and advancing through the screen workflow, click 'next'. You will come to the Submit Record screen. This is the final screen.

You can complete the entire data description at one time or you can save a partial description and return to update and edit many times. To save a partial description, click 'save and exit' at the bottom of any of the screens. To return to edit the description click the 'edit' icon for that description, in the 'Manage' section on the far right of the Researcher Dashboard.

When the data description is ready to be submitted, enter contact details and select the check box that indicates the record is ready for review.

Clicking submit will display a summary of the data collection description that has been submitted.

You will receive an email confirming that the data collection description has been submitted for review, and you will receive an additional email when the data collection description has been reviewed and is published into DRO and RDA. The Researcher Dashboard screen will also update to 'Published' status when this has occurred.

Access Permissions - Data Management Plan

Data management plans can be shared with other users. Additionally, access to plans can be removed or ownership of plans can be transferred to others.

Sharing

To share a data management plan:

1. Locate an existing data management plan from the 'My Plans' section of the Researcher Dashboard.
2. Click on the 'Set permissions' icon
3. The 'Access permissions' screen is displayed. This screen shows the current owner of the plan. To add an additional owner to the plan, enter the email address of the user and click 'add'.

The email address should be obtained from Microsoft Outlook, as it needs to be a Deakin academic email address and should be entered in the following format:

FirstName Lastname <firstname.lastname@deakin.edu.au>

To obtain the email address:

1. Open Microsoft Outlook
2. Locate the name of the person you want to share the plan with. This can be done by searching for the person via contacts or address book, or finding the person on an existing email.
Right-click on the person's name and select copy.
4. Return to the 'Access Permissions' screen.
5. Paste the email address of the plan recipient into the field.
6. When the added person logs in to their Researcher Dashboard, they will find the data management plan in a new section called 'Plans Shared With Me'. The added person can review the plan but cannot make any changes. Only the plan owner can edit the plan.
7. Remove the space between the Name and the "<" character.
8. Click the 'add' button. This will share the plan with the nominated user.

Removing access

Removing access to data management plans can also be managed by the plan owner.

1. To remove access to a plan, click on the 'Set permissions' button and to reach the 'Access permissions' screen (as per steps above). The screen shows all users with access to the plan. Click the delete icon next to the username to remove their access to the plan. A dialog box will ask for confirmation. Click ok to proceed.
2. The previously added person will no longer find the plan in their Researcher Dashboard.

Changing owners

Ownership of data management plans can be transferred between people. This might be useful to allow others to edit or provide content to the plan.

1. To change ownership of a plan, click on the 'Set permissions' button to reach the 'Access permissions' screen (as per steps above). The screen shows all people with access to the plan.
2. Click the 'Is owner' button for the parson that ownership of the plan is to be transferred to. Click 'Change' to change the ownership.
3. You will now find the plan in your shared plans section and will no longer have edit access to the plan. You can still review the plan.

Access Permissions – Data Collection Descriptions

Managing access to datasets works in much the same way as it does for a data management plan.

The main differences are:

1. There is no separate section for shared data descriptions.  Any descriptions you have access to will appear under 'Draft dataset descriptions' in the Researcher Dashboard.
2. Where you have been granted review access to a data description you will not be able to edit the record. If you try to edit a record that you are not the owner of, a message will be displayed.
3. The button for managing access to data descriptions is called 'Manage Record'. As for the Data Management Plan, this can be found in the 'Manage' section of the record on the far right of the Researcher Dashboard.