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Research Data Management Practices, Data Sharing Concerns and Training Needs among Academics and Research Scholars: Evidence from Banaras Hindu University, India

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Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Library and Information Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
  • 2Satya Prakash Singh, Junior Research Fellow, Department of Library and Information Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Res. J. Library Sci., Volume 14, Issue (2), Pages 1-6, July,21 (2026)

Abstract

Research data management has emerged as an integral part of research integrity, transparency, preservation and reuse. This study aims to analyse the RDM practices, data-sharing concerns, and training needs of academics and research scholars at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). It was designed as a descriptive survey, and an online questionnaire was used during March-April 2024. One hundred and seven valid responses were received from the Faculties of Arts, Science and Social Science. The analysis reveals that standard office documents are common across disciplines, whereas Science respondents produce a more diverse range of machine-generated, structured and software-related data. Some respondents use central servers and repositories, but most storage remains dependent on personal devices. Although many respondents are willing to share data upon request, concerns about misuse or misinterpretation, legal and ethical issues, and the risk of losing competitive advantage limit wider sharing. Awareness of metadata, DOI and data citation is comparatively higher than awareness and use of institutional RDM policy and data management plans. The paper recommends discipline-specific RDM training, repository-based storage, institutional data-sharing guidelines and library-led advisory services to foster a stronger culture of RDM at the university.

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