Guidance on Management of Research Data at Nagoya Institute ofTechnology (NITech Method)
For Students
What should be done to prevent irregularities in research?
From time to time illegal actions such as data fabrication in research papers and theses become amajor controversy in society. Once such improprieties are detected, the life of the individual researcher
is greatly changed. Trust in the whole organization to which that individual belongs is damaged, and its
evaluation is greatly reduced. In addition, there is the possibility that the public will develop doubts
regarding science and technology as a whole.
There is no foolproof policy to completely prevent improprieties in research. However, various illegal
actions can easily occur if they cannot be seen by others, and do not occur easily if they can be seen.
For example, if others know what kind of test is being carried out and can see what data can beobtained, it is not possible to fabricate graphs that are not based on the data and publish them inresearch papers. Conversely, if the data completely cannot be verified by others, it is difficult to detectfabrication if it occurs, and as a result research improprieties can easily occur.
At Nagoya Institute of Technology, the Guidelines for Proper Handling of Research Information andData at Nagoya Institute of Technology were produced in 2016. These guidelines stipulate that data
including research records such as test notes, measurement and calculation results etc. must be stored
for 10 years. The objective of this is to prevent research improprieties by enabling the research process
and results to be verified.
At present almost all data is in electronic format. Many research laboratories retain research records
as electronic files, not as paper notes. Storage of research records and results is the storage of theseelectronic files on some medium. However, in this case there are a few caveats. If one wishes to checkcertain measurement data stored on a hard disk, if the name of the folder (directory) that the data isstored in is unknown, it will not be possible to find the relevant files. In other words, in order that data
can be verified, it is necessary that the relevant files can be found by a third party. Furthermore, it isnecessary that the files be stored and managed in accordance with defined rules.
Nagoya Institute of Technology has provided integrated guidelines for the storage of electronic
research data in the University based on these concepts. These Guidelines are disclosed as Universitypolicy. It is expected that each individual will abide by the intent of these Guidelines through theiractions in research.

(I) Rules for compartmentalization into folders and files(1) Raw data such as test and analysis data
The data obtained in research is the ultimate basis of the evidence for the contents of1

research reports. It is also a record that indicates when and what activities theresearcher has carried out.
In order to facilitate the acquisition and verification of the data by a third person, datafolders and files shall be prepared in accordance with defined rules within the researchgroup.
The following two are basic forms of the rule.
A Graduation year folder -> Student name folder -> Test method name folder -> Datefolder -> Test specimen name file
BGraduation year folder -> Student name folder -> Test specimen name folder -> Test

method folder -> Date file
(It is not necessary to be uniform throughout the whole research group, but it is desirable thatthe person responsible for the data (the individual student) selects one of the rules.)(If an abbreviation or serial number is used for the test specimen name, a file indicating thecorrespondence between the test specimen name and the test specimen information shall beprepared and stored.)Main points:* It shall be possible for a third party to determine 4 items from the names of the folderand file: The person that acquired the data, the test method, the test specimen name,and the date the data was acquired (the sequence does not matter).
As long as this is possible, the method can be flexibly changed in accordance with thenature of the research. For example:• In the case of theoretical analysis, the above ‘test method’ can be read as ‘analysis method’,and ‘test specimen name’ can be read as ‘setting conditions’.
ExampleGraduation year folder -> Student name folder -> Analysis method name folder ->Date folder -> Conditions name file
• If necessary, folders can be divided and the number of layers increased. For example, in thecase of A in (1) above, the test specimens can be divided into groups and folders produced asfollows.
Example-> Date folder -> Test specimen group folder -> Test specimen name file2

• In the case of questionnaire survey results, the above ‘test method’ can be read as‘questionnaire survey method’.
• When common data is managed for all research groups, or for sub-groups within that
research group, the above ‘student name’ can be read as ‘(sub)group name’.
Example(Graduation year folder ->) Sub-group name folder -> Test method name folder ->Date folder -> Test specimen name file
• If data is stored in accordance with a different rule to this, a text file shall be preparedindicating the rules for applying folder and file names, and stored in the Student name folder
with the title ‘File Name Rules’. In this case also it shall be possible to obtain the necessary
information noted above from the folder and file names.

(2) Data for Research Papers, Oral Presentations, and Poster Presentations
When results are made public at a research presentation, it is considered that there
is a high possibility that there will be a demand for verification. Therefore, to enable thecontent of the presentation to be easily verified, folders shall be prepared as describedbelow, and the manuscript document, presentation slides, posters, and all the raw data
files shall be stored there.
For the Research Group as a WholePapers
Year folder -> Journal name folder -> First author name folder -> Paper title name folderPresentations
Year folder -> Conference name folder -> First author name folder -> Presentation title
name folder(If the raw data size is extremely large, store a file stating the storage location of the raw data,
instead of the raw data.)(II) Methods of Storing Data
Each research group shall adopt either of the following two methods. Store your databy the method adopted in accordance with the instructions of the faculty member.

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A A hard disk for storage of data (as a rule, storage on a single device) shall be
installed for each research laboratory.
B CDs or DVDs that store the data for each student (in this case, the disks must be
stored together at a single location).
* In either method, the data shall be collected at a single location (single disk or a single
cabinet).

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