Research Data Management and Information Security: Role of Library and Intormation Technology Service (ITS) Units in Federal Universities of Technology in Nigeria

Abstract

This exploratory study presents how information security affects research data management in all the federal universities of technology (FUTs) in Nigeria. These FUTS in Nigeria are: the Federal University of Technology. Minna: Federal University of Technology. Akure: Federal University of Technolog. Owerri: Modibbo Adama University of Technology. Yola: and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi. Lack of trust in the available security systems and safety procedures guiding the institutional repositories (IR) have been identified as perceived impediment to depositing intellectual outputs and the underlying research data by researchers. The consequence of this is poor patronage of the IR and low content of repositories of FUTs in Nigeria. The objective of this study was therefore to identify the available support systems in the Libraries and Infornmation Technology Service (ITS) Units of FUTs in Nigeria. The study used oral the measure of the required output expected of an academic staft. A well conducted research will project not only the image of the researcher but also of the institution the researcher is afiliated to. Furthermore, academic research is considered to be efficient and socially valuable if it offers solution to real problems that companies and/or individuals contront 2]. Most researches are achieved through collating and analysing of recorded data over a period of time. Data are collection of facts, concepts, numbers, words, measurenments, observations, or instructions in a formalised manner which should be suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing by human or electronie machine. Data that are collected and presented in a form that the computer system can understand are referred to as digital data. Data vary across disciplines; they can be numeric, textual, audio, video, and graphic. They can also be samples (such as Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), blood), physical collections (plant specimens, animal samples), software codes and programmes, algorithms, databases, modules, reports, experimental observations, face-to-face semi-structured interview method conducted on five university librarians and five heads of ITS Units of FUTs in Nigeria who are responsible for the development and managenment of institutional repositories and are also stakeholders in effective research data management. For the data transcription and analysis, this study adopted the Braun & Clarke (2006) thematic analysis approach vwhich involve a six-phase of qualitative data analysis. Findings of the study confirmed that hacking, as a cyber threat, still pose a great threat to intellectual output and research data deposited in the IR of FUTs in Nigeria. The study recommended the need for continued capacity building to improve the cyber security skills and data management skills of ITS staff and librarians respectively.