2,661 scientists have elected their representatives to the German Data Forum (RatSWD). The elected persons for the 8th appointment period (2023-2026) will now be proposed to the Federal Government for appointment. The election results can now be viewed online: https://www.ratswd.de/wahl
In times of crisis, the urgency to act is high - things must happen quickly, and at the same time political decisions have to be well-founded. Researchers need quality-assured data that are comparable with one another in order to be able to provide policy-makers with reliable research results. The German Data Forum (RatSWD) has developed some suggestions on how researchers can better position themselves for such situations: a catalogue of standard questions that are important in times of crisis. Researchers can use these questions directly in their studies. The survey data collected can then be better compared and linked.
At the beginning of their careers, researchers are often faced with the question of correct research data management (RDM). Especially in small research projects, it is unclear to many, how the data can be made usable in the long term. With a new handout and a set of slides, the German Data Forum (RatSWD) provides recommendations for RDM in small research projects.
Twitter messages, Instagram pictures, and other traces of digital life emerge every day almost everywhere in the world. They are not only interesting for us and our immediate environment, but also enable research to answer important questions. However, this data is unstructured and fundamentally different from other data sources. In a handout, the German Data Forum (RatSWD) describes the challenges of dealing with unstructured data.
The disclosure of criminal offences in the research process is a research ethics dilemma and harbours uncertainties for researchers. A new handout by the German Data Forum (RatSWD) now provides guidance.
In its position paper, the German Data Forum (RatSWD) underscores the need for a data institute from a scientific perspective. The independent advisory council of the federal government formulates concrete requirements for the project initiated by the coalition formed by SPD, FDP and Green Party: Data access and data linkage are central to this for researchers.
The German Data Forum (RatSWD) published its position paper "Establishing an education progress register: data protection compliant and research-friendly". In the paper, the RatSWD calls for the establishment of an education progress register in order to close the current data gaps in education research and thus catch up in international comparisons. Only with an education trajectory register that links existing data can education trajectories be systematically analyzed. This will enable evidence-based recommendations for improving the education system.
The German Data Forum (RatSWD) has made available on its website a collection of current research projects on the impact of the war against Ukraine on German society as well as studies on migration and flight in this context. The collection is intended to provide researchers and the general public with an overview of current initiatives and to promote mutual networking.
With the website "Best Practices in Research Ethics", the German Data Forum (RatSWD) provides a new service for users from research, studies, and teaching. The website "Best Practices in Research Ethics" is a cross-disciplinary offer on the topic of research ethics in the research process with a focus on social science research, which meets the high demand for information in this area.
The Council for Social and Economic Data (RatSWD) published its position paper "Cornerstones for a Research Data Act". In it, the RatSWD primarily calls for improved access for the scientific community to register and administrative data as well as the safeguarding of the confidentiality of research data.
The German Data Forum (RatSWD) believes that the coalition agreement of the new government sets new and positive accents. Digitisation is to be promoted across all ministries and a deepened cooperation between politics and science is aimed for. The goal of drafting a research data law and making data in general more accessible to science is particularly welcomed. The German Data Forum will closely accompany and support the implementation of the projects.
For the 20th legislative period of the German Bundestag, the German Data Forum (Rat für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsdaten, RatSWD) calls for better access to (research) data for scientific and research purpose. It does so by defining seven specific fields of action in its recent position paper "Strengthening data-based research in Germany". Profound research data is indispensable for politics, since evidence-based decisions can only be made on the basis of scientific findings.