Data Management

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Data Management

• Science as a Profession
• Graduate School of Biomedical Science
• Baylor College of Medicine
• Gayle R. Slaughter, Ph.D.
• Assistant Dean of Graduate Education
• Associate Professor of Molecular Cellular
  Biology

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Why do we need scientific records?
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Why do we need scientific records?

• Know what has been done
• Know how to do experiments
• Record of progress for granting agencies
• Record of achievement for publications and patents

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Data Ownership

• Who owns scientific data?
• Person who does the experiment?
• Head of the lab?
• Institution to which grant is awarded?
• Granting agency?

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Data Ownership

• Use of Rosalind Franklins x-ray photos of DNA by
• James Watson and Francis Crick

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Responsibility for Data Acquisition

• Person doing the experiment
• Supervisor should oversee
• Advise as to the system used
• Allow time to keep records
• Review records
• Critique record keeping

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Systems for Data Acquisition

• Notes on scraps of paper, or even papers not in
  organized place, are unacceptable
• Daily notebooks
• Bound journals
• Looseleaf notebooks
• Computer logs
• Primary data if cant fit in notebook
• Summaries of findings

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Types of Lab Notebooks

• General notebook Experiment description, data,
  interpretation, conclusions
• Procedure or reagent notebook
• Computerized records
• Summary of findings, figures for papers

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Table of Contents

• Need to leave a few pages at beginning blank
• Organize by date, usually
• Include page numbers
• Categorize by
• Techniques and protocols
• Type of experiment
• Title of experiment
• Include by experiments that yielded publishable
  data may also place copy in another notebook

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Hypothetical Experimental Description

• RNA Isolation from Rat Testis Cells (11/18/92)
• RNA was isolated by standard procedure from 106
  testis cells isolated as usual. Northern blot
  was prepared and hybridized to P32-CaM cDNA.
  Blot showed three RNA bands of 1.8, 1.6, and 1.4
  kb. Blot was scanned and digitized with a
  relative ratio for the 1.6 kb RNA band that
  changed by as much as six fold.

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Hypothetical Experimental Description

• RNA Isolation from Rat Testis Cells (11/18/92)
• Protocol RNA isolated according to Biol. Repr.
  37 1247 (1) from 106 testis cells from the
  spermatogonial (SG), pachytene spermatocyte
  (PcS), round spermatid (RS) fractions isolated
  as described in Mol. Endo. 31569 (2) with the
  cell distributions reported on 10/18/92 on Book
  3, p 54. Northern blot was prepared hybridized
  to the P32 EcoR1/Hind3 320 bp rat CaM 1 cDNA and
  washed according to ref. 1. Results Blot showed
  three RNA bands of 1.8, 1.6, and 1.4 kb. Blot
  was scanned and digitized according to ref 2 with
  the following relative ratio of RNA bands SG
  124 PcS 1123 RS 148. Conclusion
  CaM RNA bands are found at different ratios in
  different stages of spermatogenesis. Future
  Directions strip and probe blot with CaM II and
  III cDNAs and CaM act. protein kinase to see if
  CaMapk is coordinately regulated with one CaM
  RNA/gene.

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Sample Format for Experiment Description

• What information are we missing?
• What elements would you include in the ideal lab
  notebook that is a record of daily experiments?

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Sample Format for Experiment Description

• Title of experiment
• Objective, purpose
• Rationale for doing experiment
• Procedures and reagents
• Experimental design and performance
• Details of samples, set-up, what you did
• Results primary data, calculations, graphs
  Interpretation, conclusions, next step

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Guidelines for Lab Notebooks

• Permanent, well organized record
• Honest, complete information
• Sufficient information to understand, repeat
• Keep data up-to-date keep all primary data
• Sign, number, date every page
• Maintain at least 3 years after project ends
• Most people keep for forever

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What would you do?

• You have just inherited a very interesting
  project from a former graduate student whose lab
  notebook is indecipherable? How do you get the
  information you need to move ahead with the
  project?

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Why make corrections to lab notes?

• Find mistakes
• Errors in recording or calculating
• Forgot to record something
• New information that changes interpretation
• Not really a change but an addition
  explanation regarding interpretation,
• or conclusion

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Making Corrections to Lab Notes

• Do not erase or use whiteout
• Draw a line through what is being changed
• Write above or in the margin date initial it
• Use a different color ink
• Computer record add a blank line, put in the
  correction with a date beside it

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Concerns about Computer Records

• Difficulty inputting some primary data
• Scanners are improving some data difficult
• Ease of manipulation temptation to alter data
• Loss of data - need to backup
• Constantly changing computer systems
• Computers operating systems
• Hacking or duplication (for sensitive information)

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Guidelines for Computer Records

• Permanent, well organized record, back-up
• Number, date every page
• Honest, complete information
• Sufficient information to understand, repeat
• Keep data up-to-date keep all primary data in a
  specified, easy to find place
• Keep a record of un-manipulated data
• Maintain for 3 years after project ends

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Guidelines for Record Handling

• Follow the rules of the workplace!!
• Types of records
• Rules on records dating, signing
• Access of others to records
• Policies regarding duplication and
• distribution

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What would you do?

• You have made a major discovery, but the journal
  to which you submitted the work dragged their
  heels and has requested changes that will take
  months to complete. You need to get a claim to
  your discovery! You have a personal website.
  Should you post the finding there? What could
  you do to stake the claim?

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Guidelines for Record Handling

• Information may not be disclosed without the
  permission of your mentor.
• Cannot jeopardize publication or patents
• Some information may require government clearance
  for disclosure
• Homeland Security projects, for example

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Key Questions on Data Management

• Could you understand the lab notebook 10 years
  from now?
• Can anyone who didnt do the experiments repeat
  them?
• Can you find the primary data, materials used to
  do the experiments?

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What happens when records arent maintained or
cant be understood?

• Difficulty understanding research
• Difficulty reproducing results
• Inability to document progress
• Difficulty responding to questions
• Cant defend challenges that arise
• Loss of public trust

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Baltimore/Imanishi-Kari Fraud Case

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Baltimore/Imanishi-Kari Fraud Case

One of the most publicized cases of suspected
fraud in American science Came at time when
American science was under assault Involved
multiple government agencies, labs, outstanding
scientists Changing verdicts Never completely
resolved to everyones satisfaction
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Impact of Fraud or Suspicion of Fraud

• What happens when questions are raised about the
  validity of work?
• Concerns about relying on data
• Lost time to defend against charges
• Lost time to investigate charges
• Damage to careers, friendships
• Public loses confidence in science

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Keys to Reliable Record Keeping

• Provide a table of contents in each book
• Keep all records up to date
• Number experiments in a series in order
• Put primary data in the lab notebook if possible
  if not, put in easy to find place
• Make corrections in different color and date