research on database creation

Building Your Personal Database

By  Kelly Hanson

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Kelly Hanson is a PhD candidate in English at Indiana University, Bloomington. You can find her on Twitter @krh121910 .

Most of us in graduate school are familiar with databases. They store troves of information and articles, and we search them on a pretty regular basis when researching our topics. What fewer of us think about, however, is that our work does not only rely on databases. In fact, most of us produce our very own database every time we perform research . The more we read and research, the more information we have. When we store and organize this information in notes, computers, or notebooks, we are creating databases. On the scale of databases, they are small and specialized, to be sure, but they are nevertheless databases of information. The question is: do we treat our research notes as a personal database?

The sheer volume of information we store for our research can be overwhelming — especially when we try to figure out what is important to our main argument for an article or dissertation chapter. Often, this feeling is a result of poor organization. Rather than a clearly organized system, our information is often stored in unlabeled stacks of notebooks, hundreds of individual Word documents, or a single file with all of our notes arranged in no particular order.

In other words, we don’t usually treat our research notes and files as information in a database. But we should. Treating our research and notes like a personal database allows for easier access to our information . It helps us find and store information in an organized manner and it helps us be more efficient when analyzing our data and evidence.

Database Tools

The most effective way to organize your research into a personal database is to use a single program to centralize and organize your notes . Use database or note-taking software to store notes and research data, and put everything in that one place. Using a notebook, database, or citation program allows you to store and organize your information rather than hoarding everything in a single MS Word file. Zotero , DevonTHINK Pro (Mac), and Evernote are all powerful options for creating your own personal research database. These programs make your information searchable and organize information by type. Tagging capabilities allow you to use the software to make connections between documents in addition to filing them in an organized manner. To help centralize your sources, you can scan handwritten notes or images , or sync notes from other programs with these databases, eliminating unorganized notes spread across many notebooks or files.

DevonTHINK Pro is my personal choice, and its accompanying app DevonTHINK To Go allows me to access my files on my iPhone or iPad wherever I go. While DevonTHINK requires a significant (for a graduate student) investment, I found that money to be the one of the best software investments I have ever made (second only to Scrivener ). When I switched from Evernote to DevonTHINK, I was able to import all of my previous notes.

Evernote likewise has iPad and iPhone syncing capabilities, and does not charge for its software (though you can upgrade to a premium version for $45 a year). While the free version does not have the folder organization capabilities of DevonTHINK, this program still works as a personal research database and offers tagging and multimodal documents. With both DevonTHINK and Evernote, I can save everything from text to PDFs to photographs to websites in a single location.

If using a database software or program isn’t your thing, find other ways to organize your information . For non-digital libraries, develop your own filing system, either on the computer or in your filing cabinet. Organize your bookshelf by type, or use software to help you tag and make connections between your library books. Create an organized folder/subfolder structure and develop a file naming system. For computer files, tag and name your files and notes with topical, searchable keywords in order to make your information searchable . You can also use a file naming system that will help you put your sources in a specific order . Use a consistent file naming system so that your files tell you what they are immediately, and then use Spotlight (Mac) or Explore (Windows) to quickly search for files.

These options may not work for you, and there are many programs to choose from. Some, like Hazel , perform organizing tasks for you. If you think you need to purchase database software, see if your institution offers a discounted or free database software package.

Thoughts on using databases to store and organize research? Chime in below!

[Photo courtesy of Flickr user Eirik Stavelin and used under a Creative Commons license]

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Mastering The Art Of Creating A Research Database: A Step-By-Step Guide

Research databases play a crucial role in the world of academia, business, and various other fields. They provide a centralized and organized platform for storing, managing, and analyzing vast amounts of data. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of research databases and discuss the purpose of this article.

Table of Contents

Importance of Research Databases

Research databases are essential tools for researchers, students, and professionals alike. They offer a wealth of information that can be accessed and utilized for various purposes, such as:

Efficient Data Storage : Research databases provide a structured and organized way to store large volumes of data. This ensures that information is easily accessible and can be retrieved quickly when needed.

Data Integration : Databases allow for the integration of data from multiple sources, enabling researchers to analyze and draw insights from diverse datasets. This integration can lead to more comprehensive and accurate research outcomes.

Data Security : Research databases offer robust security measures to protect sensitive information. Access controls, encryption, and regular backups ensure that data remains secure and protected from unauthorized access or loss.

Collaboration and Sharing : Databases facilitate collaboration among researchers by providing a centralized platform for sharing data and findings. This promotes knowledge exchange and accelerates the progress of research projects.

Purpose of the Blog Post

The purpose of this blog post is to guide readers through the process of creating a research database. We will cover the essential steps involved in designing, implementing, and maintaining a database for research purposes. By following these steps, readers will gain a solid understanding of how to create an effective research database that meets their specific needs.

Throughout this article, we will explore topics such as:

Understanding the Basics of Research Databases : We will define research databases, discuss their types, and highlight the benefits of using them. Additionally, we will explore the common features found in research databases.

Step 1: Defining the Research Objectives : This step involves identifying the purpose of the research, determining the scope and focus of the database, and setting clear goals and objectives.

Step 2: Designing the Database Structure : Here, we will delve into choosing the appropriate database management system, creating tables, and establishing relationships between them.

Step 3: Collecting and Organizing Data : This step focuses on identifying relevant sources for data collection, extracting and importing data into the database, and ensuring data accuracy and consistency.

Step 4: Implementing Data Validation and Security Measures : We will discuss the importance of setting up data validation rules, implementing user access controls, and regularly backing up the database to ensure data integrity and security.

Step 5: Querying and Analyzing Data : This step involves writing SQL queries to retrieve specific information, utilizing data analysis tools and techniques, and generating reports and visualizations for data analysis.

Step 6: Maintaining and Updating the Database : We will explore the importance of regularly reviewing and cleaning the database, updating and adding new data as needed, and monitoring performance to optimize the database’s efficiency.

By the end of this blog post, readers will have a comprehensive understanding of the steps involved in creating a research database. They will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to embark on their own database creation journey and master the art of managing research data effectively.

Understanding the Basics of Research Databases

Research databases play a crucial role in the world of academia and scientific research. They provide a centralized platform for storing, organizing, and accessing vast amounts of information. In this section, we will delve into the basics of research databases, including their definition, types, and the benefits they offer. We will also explore the common features that make research databases an indispensable tool for researchers.

Definition and Types of Research Databases

A research database is a structured collection of data that is specifically designed to support research activities. It serves as a repository for various types of information, such as scholarly articles, research papers, datasets, and more. These databases are typically created and maintained by organizations, universities, or specialized institutions.

There are different types of research databases available, each catering to specific research needs. Some common types include:

Bibliographic Databases : These databases focus on providing information about published research articles, including details such as authors, titles, abstracts, and keywords. Examples of popular bibliographic databases include PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Full-Text Databases : These databases contain the complete text of research articles, allowing researchers to access the entire content of a publication. Examples of full-text databases include JSTOR, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore.

Subject-Specific Databases : These databases are dedicated to specific subject areas or disciplines, providing comprehensive coverage of research within those fields. Examples include PsycINFO for psychology research and ACM Digital Library for computer science.

Benefits of Using Research Databases

Research databases offer numerous benefits that significantly enhance the research process. Here are some key advantages:

Access to a Wide Range of Information : Research databases provide access to a vast collection of scholarly resources, enabling researchers to explore a wide range of topics and stay up-to-date with the latest research in their field.

Efficient Search and Retrieval : These databases are equipped with advanced search functionalities, allowing researchers to quickly find relevant articles, papers, or datasets based on specific criteria such as keywords, authors, or publication dates.

Quality and Credibility : Research databases often include peer-reviewed and reputable sources, ensuring the reliability and credibility of the information available. This helps researchers avoid unreliable or biased sources.

Time and Cost Savings : By utilizing research databases, researchers can save valuable time and resources that would otherwise be spent on manually searching for and accessing individual research articles or papers.

Common Features of Research Databases

Research databases typically offer a range of features that facilitate efficient data management and retrieval. Some common features include:

Advanced Search Capabilities : Research databases provide powerful search functionalities, allowing researchers to perform complex queries and refine their search results based on specific criteria.

Filters and Sorting Options : These databases often include filters and sorting options that enable researchers to narrow down their search results based on factors such as publication date, author, or journal.

Citation Management : Many research databases offer citation management tools, allowing researchers to easily generate citations in various citation styles, such as APA or MLA.

Alerts and Notifications : Researchers can set up alerts and notifications to stay informed about new publications or updates in their field of interest.

In conclusion, understanding the basics of research databases is essential for researchers looking to streamline their research process and access reliable and relevant information. By utilizing these databases, researchers can save time, access a wide range of resources, and ensure the credibility of their research findings. The next section will delve into the steps involved in creating a research database, providing a comprehensive guide for researchers to follow.

Step 1: Defining the Research Objectives

In the process of creating a research database, defining the research objectives is a crucial step. This step sets the foundation for the entire database and ensures that it aligns with the goals and purpose of the research. Here are the key aspects to consider when defining the research objectives:

Identifying the purpose of the research

Before diving into the database design, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the purpose of the research. What are you trying to achieve? Are you conducting market research, academic research, or scientific research? Defining the purpose will help you determine the type of data you need to collect and the structure of your database.

Determining the scope and focus of the database

Once you have identified the purpose of your research, it is important to determine the scope and focus of your database. This involves deciding what specific aspects of the research you want to capture in your database. For example, if you are conducting market research, you may want to focus on customer demographics, purchasing behavior, and market trends. Defining the scope will help you narrow down the data you need to collect and organize.

Setting clear goals and objectives

To ensure the success of your research database, it is crucial to set clear goals and objectives . These goals will guide your database design and help you stay focused throughout the process. For example, your goal might be to analyze customer behavior patterns to improve marketing strategies. Your objectives could include collecting data on customer demographics, purchase history, and preferences. Setting clear goals and objectives will help you stay organized and ensure that your database serves its intended purpose.

Defining the research objectives is a critical step that lays the foundation for the entire research database. It helps you understand the purpose of your research, determine the scope and focus of your database, and set clear goals and objectives. By investing time and effort into this step, you can ensure that your research database is designed to effectively capture and analyze the data you need.

Step 2: Designing the Database Structure

Designing the structure of a research database is a crucial step in the process of creating an effective and efficient database. It involves making decisions about the database management system, creating tables, and establishing relationships between them. Let’s delve into the details of this step.

Choosing the Appropriate Database Management System

The first decision you need to make when designing a research database is selecting the right database management system (DBMS). There are various DBMS options available, such as MySQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server. Choosing the appropriate DBMS is essential as it determines the functionality, scalability, and security of your database.

Consider factors like the size of your dataset, the complexity of your research, and your budget when selecting a DBMS. Each DBMS has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to evaluate your specific requirements before making a decision.

Creating Tables and Defining Fields

Once you have chosen a DBMS, the next step is to create tables and define fields. Tables are used to organize and store data in a structured manner. Each table represents a specific entity or concept in your research.

When creating tables, you need to identify the different attributes or characteristics that describe the entity. These attributes become the fields or columns of the table. For example, if you are creating a research database for a university, you might have tables for students, courses, and grades. The fields in the student table could include student ID, name, and date of birth.

It’s important to define the data types for each field, such as text, number, date, or boolean. This ensures that the data is stored correctly and can be easily queried and analyzed later on.

Establishing Relationships Between Tables

In a research database, data is often related to each other. For example, in our university database, a student is enrolled in multiple courses, and each course has multiple students. To represent these relationships, you need to establish relationships between tables .

There are different types of relationships, such as one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many. One-to-one relationships occur when each record in one table is associated with only one record in another table. One-to-many relationships occur when each record in one table can be associated with multiple records in another table. Many-to-many relationships occur when multiple records in one table can be associated with multiple records in another table.

To establish relationships, you need to define primary and foreign keys . A primary key is a unique identifier for each record in a table, while a foreign key is a field that refers to the primary key of another table. This allows you to link related data across tables and ensure data integrity.

Designing the database structure is a critical step that lays the foundation for a well-organized and efficient research database. By choosing the right DBMS, creating tables, and establishing relationships between them, you can ensure that your database is capable of handling your research needs effectively.

Remember, careful planning and consideration during this step will save you time and effort in the long run. So take the time to understand your research requirements and design a database structure that aligns with your goals.

Step 3: Collecting and Organizing Data

Collecting and organizing data is a crucial step in creating a research database. It involves identifying relevant sources, extracting and importing data, and ensuring its accuracy and consistency. Let’s delve into the details of this step.

Identifying relevant sources for data collection

To build a comprehensive research database, it is essential to identify the most relevant sources for data collection. These sources can include academic journals, industry reports, government databases, surveys, and more. Thorough research is required to find credible and up-to-date sources that align with the research objectives.

Extracting and importing data into the database

Once the relevant sources have been identified, the next step is to extract and import the data into the database. This process can vary depending on the format of the data and the database management system being used. Data extraction involves retrieving information from the selected sources, while data import involves transferring the extracted data into the database.

It is important to ensure that the data is properly formatted and structured during the import process. This includes organizing the data into appropriate tables and defining the fields accurately. Data normalization techniques can be applied to eliminate redundancy and improve data integrity.

Ensuring data accuracy and consistency

Data accuracy and consistency are vital for the reliability of a research database. It is crucial to implement measures to ensure that the data being collected and organized is accurate and consistent. This can be achieved through various techniques, such as:

Data validation : Implementing validation rules to check the integrity and accuracy of the data being entered into the database. This can include checks for data types, ranges, and constraints.

Data cleansing : Regularly reviewing and cleaning the data to remove any errors, duplicates, or inconsistencies. This can involve techniques like deduplication, standardization, and data profiling.

Data integration : Integrating data from multiple sources to ensure consistency and eliminate discrepancies. This can be done through data matching and merging techniques.

By implementing these measures, researchers can ensure that the data in their research database is reliable and can be used for accurate analysis and decision-making.

Collecting and organizing data is a critical step in creating a research database. It involves identifying relevant sources, extracting and importing data, and ensuring its accuracy and consistency. By following these steps diligently, researchers can build a robust and reliable research database that serves as a valuable resource for their studies.

Step 4: Implementing Data Validation and Security Measures

In the world of research databases, data validation and security measures play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the information stored. Implementing these measures is essential to protect sensitive data and maintain the accuracy and reliability of the database. Let’s explore the key steps involved in this process.

Setting up data validation rules

Data validation is the process of ensuring that the data entered into the database meets specific criteria and is accurate. By setting up data validation rules , you can prevent the entry of incorrect or inconsistent data, reducing the chances of errors and improving data quality.

To implement data validation, you need to define rules for each field in the database. For example, you can set rules to ensure that a date field follows a specific format, or that a numeric field only accepts positive values. By enforcing these rules, you can maintain data consistency and integrity.

Implementing user access controls

Protecting the confidentiality and security of your research database is of utmost importance. One way to achieve this is by implementing user access controls . This involves assigning different levels of access to different users based on their roles and responsibilities.

By granting appropriate access privileges, you can ensure that only authorized individuals can view, modify, or delete data within the database. This helps prevent unauthorized access and reduces the risk of data breaches or misuse.

Additionally, implementing user access controls allows you to track and monitor user activities within the database. This audit trail can be valuable in identifying any suspicious or unauthorized actions and helps maintain the overall security of the system.

Regularly backing up the database

No matter how robust your data validation and security measures are, there is always a possibility of data loss or corruption. That’s why it is crucial to regularly back up your research database.

Backing up the database involves creating a copy of the entire database or specific tables and storing them in a separate location. This ensures that even if the original database is compromised or damaged, you can restore the data from the backup.

It is recommended to establish a regular backup schedule, depending on the frequency of data updates and the criticality of the information stored. This way, you can minimize the risk of data loss and ensure business continuity.

Implementing data validation and security measures is an essential aspect of managing a research database. By setting up data validation rules, you can maintain data accuracy and consistency, reducing the chances of errors. Implementing user access controls helps protect the confidentiality and integrity of the database, preventing unauthorized access. Regularly backing up the database ensures that you have a copy of the data in case of any unforeseen events.

Remember, database management is an ongoing process, and continuous improvement is key. Stay updated with the latest security practices and technologies to safeguard your research database effectively. By mastering the art of data validation and security, you can ensure the reliability and trustworthiness of your research database. So, start implementing these measures today and take your research database management to the next level.

Step 5: Querying and Analyzing Data

In the process of creating a research database, Step 5 involves querying and analyzing the data stored within the database. This step is crucial as it allows researchers to extract specific information, gain insights, and make informed decisions based on the data collected. Let’s explore the key aspects of this step in more detail.

Writing SQL queries to retrieve specific information

Structured Query Language (SQL) is a powerful tool that enables researchers to retrieve specific information from the database. SQL queries are used to interact with the database and extract data based on certain criteria. Researchers can write queries to filter, sort, and aggregate data, allowing them to answer specific research questions.

For example, if a researcher wants to analyze the sales data of a particular product, they can write an SQL query to retrieve the relevant information. The query may include conditions such as the product name, date range, and geographical location. By executing the query, the researcher can obtain the desired data for further analysis.

Utilizing data analysis tools and techniques

In addition to SQL queries, researchers can leverage various data analysis tools and techniques to gain deeper insights from the collected data. These tools provide advanced functionalities for statistical analysis, data visualization, and predictive modeling.

Statistical analysis tools such as R or Python’s pandas library allow researchers to perform complex calculations, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. These tools enable them to uncover patterns, trends, and correlations within the data.

Data visualization tools like Tableau or Power BI help researchers present their findings in a visually appealing and easily understandable manner. By creating charts, graphs, and interactive dashboards, researchers can effectively communicate their insights to stakeholders.

Furthermore, predictive modeling techniques such as machine learning algorithms can be applied to the data to make predictions and forecasts. These techniques enable researchers to identify patterns and make data-driven decisions based on future trends.

Generating reports and visualizations

Once the data has been queried and analyzed, researchers can generate reports and visualizations to summarize their findings. Reports provide a comprehensive overview of the research outcomes, including key insights, statistical analysis results, and recommendations.

Visualizations, such as charts, graphs, and infographics, help researchers present complex data in a simplified and visually appealing format. Visual representations make it easier for stakeholders to understand the research findings and draw meaningful conclusions.

By combining the power of SQL queries, data analysis tools, and visualizations, researchers can unlock the full potential of their research database. This step allows them to extract valuable insights, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions.

In conclusion, Step 5 of creating a research database involves querying and analyzing the data stored within the database. By writing SQL queries, utilizing data analysis tools and techniques, and generating reports and visualizations, researchers can gain valuable insights from the collected data. This step plays a crucial role in the research process, enabling researchers to make informed decisions and contribute to their field of study.

Step 6: Maintaining and Updating the Database

Maintaining and updating a research database is crucial for ensuring its accuracy, reliability, and optimal performance. In this step, we will explore the key tasks involved in maintaining and updating a database.

Regularly reviewing and cleaning the database

Regularly reviewing and cleaning the database is essential to eliminate any inconsistencies, errors, or outdated information. Here are some important tasks to consider:

Data review : Regularly review the data in your database to identify any discrepancies or inaccuracies. This can be done by comparing the data with reliable sources or conducting periodic audits.

Data cleaning : Clean the database by removing duplicate records, correcting errors, and standardizing data formats. This will help improve data quality and ensure consistency.

Data archiving : Archive old or unused data to free up storage space and improve database performance. This can be done by moving the data to a separate archive database or by creating backups for long-term storage.

Updating and adding new data as needed

To keep your research database up to date and relevant, it is important to regularly update and add new data. Here are some steps to consider:

Data collection : Continuously collect new data from reliable sources to ensure that your database remains current. This can involve manual data entry, data extraction from external sources, or automated data feeds.

Data integration : Integrate new data into the existing database structure by adding new records or updating existing ones. Ensure that the new data is properly mapped to the appropriate fields and tables.

Data validation : Validate the new data to ensure its accuracy and consistency. This can involve running data validation checks, verifying data against predefined rules, or using data profiling techniques.

Monitoring performance and optimizing the database

Monitoring the performance of your research database is essential to identify any bottlenecks or issues that may affect its efficiency. Here are some steps to consider:

Performance monitoring : Regularly monitor the database performance by analyzing key metrics such as response time, query execution time, and resource utilization. This can be done using built-in monitoring tools or third-party performance monitoring solutions.

Database optimization : Optimize the database by fine-tuning queries, indexing frequently accessed columns, and optimizing database configurations. This will help improve query performance and overall database efficiency.

Capacity planning : Plan for future growth by monitoring database usage trends and estimating future data storage requirements. This will help ensure that your database can handle increasing data volumes without compromising performance.

In conclusion, maintaining and updating a research database is an ongoing process that requires regular attention and care. By regularly reviewing and cleaning the database, updating and adding new data, and monitoring performance, you can ensure that your research database remains accurate, reliable, and efficient. Remember, continuous improvement and learning are key to mastering the art of database management. So, start creating your research database and embark on a journey of knowledge discovery and insights.

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Digitizing, organizing, and contextualizing primary sources from libraries and archives presents unique challenges and rich opportunities.

Online databases have transformed the ways researchers use materials, in particular primary sources. Publishers’ approaches to gathering and organizing online collections are diverse, but all require forming relationships with libraries and archives and considering how researchers use their platforms. LJ spoke to several publishers about how recent database projects came to fruition.

GALE ARCHIVES OF SEXUALITY AND GENDER

The Gale Archives of Sexuality and Gender present millions of documents that reflect LGBTQ history and the history of research into sex, sexuality, and gender. Documents have been sourced from numerous libraries and archives, including the New York Public Library, the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, and the Lesbian Herstory Educational Foundation. The latest addition to the archives, Sex and Sexuality in the 16th Through 20th Centuries, is an expansive collection of books, monographs, and manuscripts, many of which were previously unavailable for public view. From conception to quality control, the development of the latest addition to the Archives of Sexuality and Gender has been going on for the better part of two years.

According to Phil Virta, acquisitions editor of the Archives of Sexuality and Gender, coming up with an idea for a database that resonates with customers is just one element. Identifying potential institutions and archival collections to populate it is important, too, he says. “It involves a lot of creativity, because you really want to find something that tells a story.” Editors must identify more material than they need, since “not every one of them is going to come through and sign an agreement. What comes through is what actually builds the archive.”

Gale had already formed a relationship and developed a collection with the Kinsey Institute, known for decades as the leading research institution on human sexuality and relationships. Virta knew the Kinsey Institute collection should be the basis of the latest archive installment, and so pursued other collections that would be complementary: the New York Academy of Medicine’s collection of rare and unique books on gender, sex, and sexuality, and the British Library Private Case Collection, consisting of books removed from the library’s public collection on grounds of obscenity.

There are more than 5,000 books in the resulting collection: 2,500 from the British Library, around 1,500 from the New York Academy of Medicine, and about 1,000 from the Kinsey Institute. None of these materials were previously digitized or widely accessible to scholars.

“In general, the collections I work with are hard-bound paper, periodicals, magazines,” says Virta.

Virta notes that “librarians and archivists shape projects like Archives of Sexuality and Gender by identifying the collections that are most consulted at their institutions, or that have the most research impact. I rely on the knowledge and expertise of librarians and archivists to help me select collections that are the best representatives of a particular subject or theme.”

For instance, Donald McLeod, head of book and serials acquisitions at the University of Toronto Libraries, who was part of the advisory board of the Archives of Sexuality and Gender from 2015 to 2019, encouraged Gale to include more international content, in particular from a Canadian archive, to make the collection “a much more wide-ranging and useful product for scholars.”

Bringing together diverse collections means that the process for bringing each institution’s materials onto the Gale platform will be different. Says Seth Cayley, vice president of Gale Primary Sources, “We see ourselves as partners with these institutions—we talk to the libraries about their needs, and how physical objects are going to be treated after digitization. Digitization often creates a lot of interest in patrons seeing the physical objects.”

For example, the Searchlight Archive at the University of Northampton, a partner in Gale’s Political Extremism collection, posted on Twitter that the archive had “seen a big increase in overseas usage this year, perhaps in part due to that exposure we got” from digitization. Cayley notes that such a surge in interest can be “a double-edged sword if a library isn’t equipped to deal with it.” He adds, “In some libraries, digitization is the reason for them to take something off shelves, if it is too delicate.”

After an agreement that works for both Gale and the materials’ home institution is finalized, the next step is to arrange a schedule with a scanning or digitization vendor. Gale scans on site in some cases, and ships materials off site in others. Scans go to another party for quality assurance. Next, the Gale content team ensures that metadata is applied. The final result has a similar look and feel to other Gale Primary Sources archives so that researchers will be confident in searching across archives.

BLOOMSBURY FASHION CENTRAL

Bloomsbury’s situation in creating Bloomsbury Fashion Central was different because the content it was combining was its own, not held in an academic library’s collection. The company acquired and combined four products: Berg Fashion Library, the Fashion Photography Archive, Fairchild Books Library, and Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases. After purchasing Fairchild Books (an industry leader in fashion and design) and the Fashion Photography Archive, the publisher had material “covering virtually the entire spectrum of scholarship in fashion,” says Kevin Ohe, director of Academic Publishing for Digital Resources. It was a natural evolution to use those resources to create something digital, he says, “bringing all of our various fashion content together onto a single platform, indexing it across a single taxonomy…creating something that is larger than four databases.”

With the content already in hand and a vision for a comprehensive fashion platform, Bloomsbury’s major challenge was working with technology vendors to develop the database, as well as an e-commerce platform for Fairchild Books.

“We had to educate the software developer in what we do, and explain the usage of it to them,” says Director of Product Management Matt Kibble. In the earliest phases of developing Fashion Central, Bloomsbury created a plan for how the platform should appear and had vendors pitch for the work. Kathryn Earle, managing director for Bloomsbury Digital Resources, notes that planning and providing as much detail as possible are crucial when working with a third-party developer, because there are “lots of downstream cost implications if something goes wrong.”

In addition, vendor goals may not always perfectly align with publisher goals. Earle notes that technology vendors may aim to “quickly get something out of the door that meets minimum expectations,” while the publisher wishes to develop “the best possible product, even if it requires more work.” Since the project’s original development, Bloomsbury has made an effort to bring more development in house, to streamline the process.

In many ways, the creation of Fashion Central broke new ground for the company, as it was the publisher’s first major foray into placing digitized versions of its materials into a comprehensive database. “We’re trying to reinvent ourselves,” says Earle. “Our background is really in book publishing, [which] is quite straightforward and linear. With digital, you’re always having to think in 3-D, and reprogramming yourself to think in a different way, which is a challenge.”

Kibble added that, “A book goes out, and until the second edition you can forget about it. A subscription database needs new content and attention and fixes.”

Left photo ©Lacma; center photo ©Niall McIerney, Bloomsbury Publishing, PLC; right photo ©Fashion Museum, Bath

American indian newspapers and service newspapers of wwii.

Relationships with archives and libraries are key for the team working on archival databases with Adam Matthew Digital as well. Two collections—the American Indian Newspapers and the Service Newspapers of WWII—showcase the ways that the publisher has brought unique primary sources to light. The American Indian Newspapers collection compiles publications from communities across the United States and Canada, published from 1828 to 2016. The Service Newspapers collection presents a range of wartime publications, from numerous nations and theaters of war.

With both collections, Adam Matthew Digital began with newspapers that had “as complete runs as possible,” according to Louise Hemmings, senior publisher with Adam Matthew Digital. The publisher’s relationship with the Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock—the leading repository for these newspapers—shaped the development of the American Indian Newspapers, which was also supplemented with materials from the Newberry Library in Chicago.

According to Erin Fehr, an archivist with Sequoyah, the greatest benefit of this collaboration was exposing more resources to a wider audience and making the collections available to researchers—something Sequoyah couldn’t do on its own because of limited staff time and money. Fehr has used the digitized collections herself to answer research queries that would have previously required time-consuming research in print.

The company decided to create the Service Newspapers collection after learning about scholarly interest in wartime journalism. Their key partners for this collection were the British Library and the Imperial War Museum.

Any professional who has worked with archival newspapers knows that these materials can be quite delicate. The Adam Matthew Digital approach to digitizing materials involves visiting the archives and taking detailed accounts and assessments of materials. Some archives prefer to digitize their collections themselves, while for other projects, the publisher will work with a separate scanning vendor.

For the newspaper collections, Hemmings says that the publisher “hit challenges in terms of conservation to make sure they were stable enough to be digitized” and to identify “what might need treatment.” Close collaboration with the archives tied in with the projects’ mission to preserve digital copies and safeguard archival collections. From there, a project management team at Adam Matthew Digital oversaw all aspects of the digitization process, including quality checking final images.

The in-house team also ensures that these are discoverable, accessible collections, and builds upon existing metadata, enhancing it where possible in consultation with curators and an editorial board. With the Service Newspapers collection, for example, the database includes notation of military units and theaters of war, as well as an interactive map for users to gain a sense of the geographic spread of materials. For the American Indian Newspapers, the team commissioned specialists to provide additional indexing for the newspapers in Indigenous languages.

Says Hemmings, “relationships with archives are at the center of what we do. That’s why we have projects where we return to work with our key archival partners again and again. It’s a massive privilege to look after this precious material.”

These databases also offer publishers an opportunity to hone relationships with the communities that produced or will use the materials. For the American Indian Newspapers project, Adam Matthew Digital “aimed to give back to those communities,” says Hemmings. To build trust with the newspaper publishers and secure necessary copyright clearance and permissions, the team visited tribal councils and publishers; Fehr initiated many conversations with publishers to build on established relationships and trust. The database has also been made available for free to all tribal colleges and universities in the United States—a decision that, Fehr said, distinguished Adam Matthews from other publishers.

These databases compile unique materials and presented unique challenges. For each of them, however, the publishers have made an effort to bring to light what makes these materials special and ensure they are available to a wider community of researchers.

Jennifer A. Dixon is Collection Management Librarian, Maloney Library, Fordham University School of Law, New York.

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Research Assistance Database

Use the query bar below to search the most comprehensive database of creationist abstracts, popular and technical. Read our story. Get searching help . View your saved references .

(To see the abstract and other detailed information, click on the desired row in the results.)

The Behind-the-Scenes Story

Back in the mid-1990's, when we just started our creation ministry, Rich went to the Institute for Creation Research for his graduate degree, a Masters in Science Education, which he obtained in 1997. The problem that he faced while he was working on his Master's Thesis was that he had difficulty finding what creationists had previously written on the topic. He realized that the lack of such a search engine constituted a huge hole in creationist research capability.

Our personal library of creationist material was continually growing. As it grew, it became more difficult to remember what we had. Rich realized the answer was a database. While a spreadsheet listing titles and references was available, its utility was limited. The limited utility was both in the format and the lack of abstracts. An article abstract is essential to the research process.

Knowing the answer is one thing, being able to implement it is another. Ginger’s mother came to the rescue! The most time consuming part of building such a database is the inputting of the data. It was very helpful to have Ginger’s mother (Maxine Shankle) who loved to type and liked to spend winters in Florida. When Rich suggested putting the information about the material in our personal library into a database, she readily agreed.

After a couple of winters of inputting the data, Rich was surprised to see over 1600 records. He did not realize he had so much information. He realized that the information would be useful to others, so he had it prepared it to run word or phrase searches and to print reports. The database was debuted at the fourth International Conference on Creationism.

Over the years, we had many volunteers help with putting RAD on CDs for sale, constructing the website search engines and others who helped with inputting data. Maxine Shankle moved to FL in 2003 and did most of the data input.

After Ginger’s mother passed away in December 2008, Ginger Overman, CER board member, Kathy Bear, and Lynette Faulkner (the wife of CER board member Dr. Danny Faulkner) have “picked up the mantle” and are inputting the data. The RAD is an amazing search engine that is still going strong. Each record includes the title, author, publishing information, the reference and page numbers, and the source (where to find the item). It includes abstracts of articles, book reviews, essays, viewpoints, interviews, letters to the editor, biographies, etc.

Examples of entire publications:

• Answers Magazine
• Answers Research Journal
• Creation Answers
• Creation Digest
• Creation Magazine
• Creation Illustrated
• Creation Matters
• Creation Research Society Quarterly
• Creation Social Science & Humanities Quarterly
• International Conference on Creationism
• Impact (ICR)
• Journal of Creation (Formerly TJ)
• Origins (Geoscience Research Institute)
• Origins Magazine (United Kingdom)
• Reason & Revelation
• Think & Believe
• And many more …

Donations to help support the Research Assistance Database can be sent to: Creation Education Resources, 108 McVickers Rd., Middleburg, FL 32068. Donations can be made by check, Visa, or MasterCard. If you have any questions about the database, please contact Rich or Ginger Overman at 904-213-1177 or by email at [email protected] .

Testimonials

Dr. danny faulkner, stellar astronomer.

As a creation scientist, I use the Research Assistance Database all the time. The RAD allows me quickly to search the entire creation literature for any topic, author, or title. I can easily find references that I’m looking for, or I can see what other creationists have already written on a topic. The RAD usually is my first step in researching a subject in creation. All serious creationists need this valuable resource.

Dr. Wayne Frair

This RAD contains a wealth of resource references, and I personally have been aided in locating important sources of information useful for my speaking and writing.

Author Title Date

Go to source, copy citation, save reference, approximately formatted citations.

Search Help

Query input, basic search.

Input desired search terms. Results may or may not contain all terms, and are sorted by relevance. To ensure that a term appears in a result (rarely needed), prefix it with "+". Similarly, to search for references which do not contain a term, prefix it with "-".

Example: Will search for references with both "mutation" and "program", but without the term "weasel", with the best matches first.

Searching for Phrases

Phrases placed in quotes will be searched together, rather than as separate terms.

Example: Will search for the entire phrase.

Searching Specific Fields

You can search the contents of a specific field by including a field name, a colon, then the search term. Do not include spaces before or after the colon. If your search term contains spaces, use quotes as above. If no field is specified, then all of the text-based fields are searched by default. Available fields are:

• reference (Journal, series, or media type which contains the result)
• source (The publishing organization)
• page (Page number, page length, or runtime as relevant)
• dt (Text formatted date. Note: formats are not consistent)
• id (Each entry has a unique ID. Use this to get one specific result.)

Example: Will search for references with "Anisotropic Synchrony Convention" in the title (a great read, by the way.)

Boolean Operators

Search terms may be combined into a more advanced query by using the logical operators AND, OR, and NOT (must be capitalized). Terms may be grouped into sub-queries by surrounding them with parentheses.

Example: Will search for references which have both the terms "radiometric" and "dating" or the single term "geochronology".

Other Search Inputs

Results per page.

To speed up searches, a small number of references is returned at once, and further results can be seen by selecting other pages of results. The number of results returned can be controlled with the "Results per page" field.

Disable date boost

By default, newer references are boosted slightly based on the year they were published, so that more recent work has been highlighted. Select the check box to disable this feature and get results which are listed in order of term relevance only. This can be useful for topics that have terms which overlap with other topics, or with topics that haven't had articles published in a while.

Displayed Results

Results are layed out in a tabular format in three columns of author, title and date, with each row being a separate reference. Don't worry. We will tell you if your search did not return any results. To see the abstract and other detailed information, click on the desired row. It will expand in place to show the additional information.

Download Results ( )

All of the currently displayed results can be downloaded at once to a .csv file, which can be opened or edited in a spreadsheet application. The downloaded file is RFC 4180 compliant and encoded in UTF-8. Some spreadsheet applications may not implement such files correctly, so you may encounter character encoding issues or problems with abstracts containing line breaks.

Operations Menu ( )

This operation will take you to the website of the result's source (publishing organization) if it has one. It will open in a new window (you may have to allow it as a "popup"). The website is associated with the organization, not the specific result, so you will have to search their site to take you to the specific article.

This operation will open a dialogue which contains formatted references for the search result you selected. Click the copy button next to the desired the citation style and paste it in the desired location. This will only generate approximately sensible results for references which are journal articles.

This operation allows you to build a list of references to print. When you select this operation, the result that you have selected will be opened in a new tab in a list with all of the others that you have selected. Once that is done, you can continue searching as normal in the main tab. Select as many references for printing as you want. The list will persist across browser restarts (so you can pick up where you left off).

Share a Search

The address bar contains all of the information needed to run your current search. You can share it as a link, or you can interact with the search server by modifying the address directly.

See here for a full search syntax reference and more advanced features including wildcards, range queries, and fuzzy searches.

Getting Started

The Research Assistance Database can be accessed programmatically through a RESTful interface. See here for a brief introduction to REST. Using the REST API provides a lot of flexibility for interacting with the database. A full reference on searching the Solr database can be found here .

The best way to learn how to use the REST API is to try it out. Use your browser's address bar, or command line curl to see what is returned by the server.

Endpoint and Methods

There is one endpoint available for references and one for sources. Only GET requests are allowed. Searching the database is performed through query parameters. Query parameters are specified after the host information and must begin with ? with key=value pairs separated by & . HTTPS is supported.

Authentication

No authentication is required to access the provided resources.

Query Parameters

Searches are primarily specified in the q query parameter. See here for a description of the full features. In general, if it works in the search bar of the webpage, it will work in a direct search. The qt and stream query parameters are disallowed.

Return Types

By default, results are returned in json format. To get XML back, include wt=xml as a query parameter. Additionally specifying indent=on will cause the response to be returned in a more readable layout.

Pagination is used on returned results since the number of returned results is potentially very large. By default, ten results are returned at a time. This can be specified using the rows query parameter. Use the start parameter to begin the page at a different record. A value of zero starts at the beginning. The total number of records found is returned in results.response.numFound .

Response Format

Returned results have a header which describes the inputs to the search as well has a response object which contains the search results. An example is shown below.

Data governance

Data governance encompasses technical, policy, and regulatory frameworks to manage data along its value cycle — from creation to deletion — and across policy domains including health, research, public administration, and finance. It ranks as a top priority for governments aiming to maximise the benefits of data while addressing challenges such as privacy and intellectual property as well as competition and empowerment.

• Going Digital Guide to Data Governance Policy Making
• Enhancing access to and sharing of data

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Key messages, data access and sharing fosters innovation, growth and well-being.

Studies show public and private-sector data have the potential to generate social and economic benefits worth between 1% and 2.5% of GDP, but have not achieved this level due to challenges such as lack of trust, and conflicting interests of different stakeholders.

To guide governments and stakeholders on how to maximise the cross-sectoral benefits of data sharing while protecting their rights, the OECD adopted its Recommendation on Enhancing Access to and Sharing of Data , the first internationally agreed upon set of principles and policy guidance of its kind. It calls on governments to:

• reinforce trust across the data ecosystem;
• stimulate investment in data and incentivise data sharing; 
• foster the effective and responsible use of data across society including across borders.

Health data are essential for modern health care but require effective governance to manage risks

Health data can improve the quality and safety of healthcare services, support scientific innovation, and the discovery and evaluation of new treatments. But to leverage this potential while managing risks that come from the misuse of data that are personal and sensitive, appropriate governance frameworks are necessary.

To support governments in setting the framework conditions for enabling the availability and use of personal health data, the OECD's  Recommendation on Health Data Governance recommends that governments establish and implement national health data governance framework that encourage the availability and use of personal health data to serve health-related public interest purposes while promoting the protection of privacy, personal health data and data security. 

Governments need to enhance access to publicly funded research data to address global challenges

Access to publicly funded research data enables data-driven innovation and science with far-reaching effects on the reproducibility of scientific results, diffusion of knowledge across society, and cross-disciplinary co-operation. It thus helps transform our society, enhance productivity and competitiveness, and address global challenges.  

Governments need to adopt policies to promote access to publicly funded research data, focusing on the seven pillars addressed by the OECD Recommendation concerning Access to Research Data from Public Funding :

• data governance for trust;
• technical standards and practices;
• responsibility, ownership and stewardship;
• incentives and rewards;
• sustainable infrastructures;
• human capital;
• international co-operation.

Open data policies are key for the broader digital transformation within the public sector as well as across the economy

The potential of public sector data to benefit society is significant, yet its full impact is often unrealised due to challenges such as legacy technology, skill gaps, and legal barriers in the public sector. For a data-driven public sector to be more efficient, transparent, and responsive to citizen needs as envisioned by the OECD Recommendations on Digital Government Strategies and for  Enhanced Access and More Effective Use of Public Sector Information , governments must:

• Treat data as a strategic asset by defining its value and measuring its impact;
• Actively work to eliminate obstacles in data management, sharing, and reuse;
• Use data to innovate in public policy and service design, delivery, and evaluation; and
• Prioritise the open data and encourage its use across public sector organisations.

Enhancing user agency and control over their data is paramount for today's digital competitive landscape

Data's non-rivalrous nature warrants openness for maximum benefit, but its replicability and imperfect excludability raise the risk of loss of control in addition to risks to privacy and intellectual property. 

Policymakers must empower individuals, social groups, and organisations through appropriate mechanisms and institutions to better control and derive value from their data in line with the OECD Recommendation on Enhancing Access to and Sharing of Data and the OECD Privacy Guidelines . Key strategies include data portability for enhanced user control to foster competition and innovation as demonstrated in areas such as open banking . Technological and organisational measures like privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and trusted data intermediaries (TDIs) can thereby be a key enabler for enhancing agency and control. 

The extent to which national health datasets may be shared varies significantly across countries

Personal health data are among the most privacy sensitive for individuals. At the same time, such data is also essential to helping make health systems more efficient, improving patient outcomes and developing new treatments. Non-fragmented and robust health data governance systems play a key role in enabling safe, privacy-preserving access to data. This indicator measures the extent to which national health datasets may be shared with domestic and international stakeholders. The indicator value is 100% when all national health datasets may be shared with all stakeholder groups.

Availability of an open government data strategy or action plan in 2022

Open government data has become a vital instrument for addressing both longstanding and emerging policy issues. In particular, the recent pandemic and the green transition have underscored the need for governments to ensure access to timely, relevant, and high-quality data to facilitate a comprehensive whole-of-society response. 

Launched in 2015, the Open, Useful and Re-usable data (OURdata) Index benchmarks governments efforts to design and implement national open government data policies. 

Most of the best performing countries in the 2023 OURdata Index perform well in everything from having an open data strategy and legal requirements to publishing high-quality data and engaging with stakeholders both within and outside of government to promote data re-use.

Related publications

Programmes of work

• Data free flow with trust Digital technologies create, capture, copy and consume vast amounts of data, and a lot of these data travel across borders. Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) aims to promote the free flow of data while ensuring trust in privacy, security, and intellectual property rights. Learn more

Related policy issues

• Cross-border data flows Cross-border data flows are critical for today’s global economic and social interactions. They underpin international business operations, logistics, supply chains and global communication. However, cross-border data flows also pose challenges, amplifying concerns about privacy and data protection, intellectual property, digital security, national security, regulatory reach and trade. Learn more

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• As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System

Nearly half of younger adults say they ‘wish there were more parties to choose from’

Table of contents.

• Leaners’ ratings of the opposing party are quite negative, but ratings of their ‘own’ party are lukewarm
• A rise in the share of Americans with unfavorable views of both parties
• The partisan gap in presidential approval ratings has grown over time
• About half of Republicans like leaders who contend Trump won 2020 election
• Views of political leaders’ approach to the other party
• Does support for a political party reflect on a person’s character?
• Majority of public sees a great deal of difference between Republican and Democratic parties
• Most Americans say at least one candidate for office shares their views
• Why partisan leaners lean – and why they don’t identify with a party
• Non-college adults are more likely than college graduates to cite the party ‘sticking up for people like them’ as a major reason for identifying with it
• Few voters say it is likely they will vote for the other party
• Leaners hold fewer negative stereotypes about the other party than partisans, but rising shares attribute negative traits
• Most Democrats view those in their party as more open-minded than other Americans; most GOP see co-partisans as more hardworking
• Across the political spectrum, a rise in the number of negative traits attributed to opposing partisans
• Acknowledgments
• Methodology

Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand Americans’ feelings about the country’s major political parties and the reasons why they choose to affiliate with or lean toward a party. For this analysis, we surveyed 6,174 U.S. adults between June 27 and July 4, 2022. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for the report and its methodology .

Partisan polarization has long been a fact of political life in the United States. But increasingly, Republicans and Democrats view not just the opposing party but also the people in that party in a negative light. Growing shares in each party now describe those in the other party as more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans.

Perhaps the most striking change is the extent to which partisans view those in the opposing party as immoral. In 2016, about half of Republicans (47%) and slightly more than a third of Democrats (35%) said those in the other party were a lot or somewhat more immoral than other Americans. Today, 72% of Republicans regard Democrats as more immoral, and 63% of Democrats say the same about Republicans.

The pattern is similar with other negative partisan stereotypes: 72% of Republicans and 64% of Democrats say people in the opposing party are more dishonest than other Americans. Fewer than half in each party said this six years ago. Large majorities in both parties also describe those in the other party as more closed-minded than other Americans (83% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans say this), and this sentiment also has increased in recent years.

Yet there is one negative trait that Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to link to their political opponents. A 62% majority of Republicans say Democrats are “more lazy” than other Americans, up from 46% in previous studies in 2019 and 2016 . Only about a quarter of Democrats (26%) say Republicans are lazier than others, and this has changed only modestly since 2016.

The new survey on parties and partisanship by Pew Research Center, conducted among 6,174 Americans between June 27 and July 4, 2022, on the nationally representative American Trends Panel, finds that negative sentiment – the belief that the opposing party’s policies are harmful to the country – remains a major factor in why Republicans and Democrats choose to affiliate with their party.

In fact, nearly equal shares of Republicans cite the harm caused by Democratic policies (78%) and the positive impact of GOP policies (76%) as major reasons why they identify with their party. This also is the case for Democrats, with identical shares (68% each) citing these negative and positive reasons for their decision to affiliate with the Democratic Party.

The belief that the opposing party’s policies are harmful to the country is a particularly prominent factor in why independents lean toward the Republican and Democratic parties. It is the only one, among the five included on this survey, cited by majorities of both Republican-leaning (57%) and Democratic-leaning independents (55%) as a major reason why they lean toward their parties.

The survey finds that while negative partisanship remains extensive – and in many cases is increasing – there also are signs of frustration with the two-party system and the parties themselves. This frustration is more evident among partisan leaners – who tend to be younger and less politically engaged than partisans – than among those who identify as Republicans or Democrats.

Among the public overall, 39% say the following describes their views extremely or very well: “I often wish there were more political parties to choose from in this country.” Another 32% say the statement describes their views somewhat well, while 28% say it describes their views not too well or not at all well.

Notably, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to express a desire for more political parties: 38% of those who identify with the Democratic Party say this describes their views extremely or very well, compared with 21% of Republicans. Yet it is among independents and others who do not identify with a party that the sentiment is most pronounced: 48% say it describes their views extremely or very well, including 48% of those who lean Republican and 53% of those who lean Democratic.

Overall, interest in having more political parties is higher among younger Americans than older adults. Nearly half of those ages 18 to 49 say they often wish there were more parties to choose from (47% say it describes their views extremely or very well); that compares with 35% of those ages 50 to 64 and just 23% of those 65 and older.

Neither party is very popular with the public : Roughly four-in-ten Americans (41%) have a very or somewhat favorable view of the Democratic Party, while even fewer (37%) have a favorable impression of the Republican Party.

Over the past several decades, the share of Americans who express unfavorable opinions of both major parties has grown: In 1994, just 6% of the public had an unfavorable view of the Republican and Democratic parties. Today, about a quarter (27%) have negative views of both parties. This view is especially pronounced among partisan leaners: 44% of Republican-leaning independents – and an identical share of Democratic leaners – currently have negative views of both parties.

The Democratic Party has advantages over the GOP on several traits and attributes, particularly when it comes to tolerance for different types of people and not making excuses for hateful views among members of their own party. About six-in-ten adults (57%) say the phrase “respectful and tolerant of different types of people” describes the Democratic Party very or somewhat well, compared with 38% who say it describes the Republican Party.

And while 61% say the phrase “too often makes excuses for party members who have hateful views” describes the Republican Party, a smaller share (51%) say it describes the Democratic Party.

At the same time, there are more modest differences in views of the parties’ respect for the nation’s democratic institutions. About half of adults (51%) say “respects the country’s democratic institutions and traditions” describes the Democratic Party very or somewhat well, while 45% say it applies to the GOP. And neither party gets high ratings for honesty: 43% say the phrase “governs in an honest and ethical way” describes the Democratic Party, compared with 37% who characterize the Republican Party this way.

Other important findings from the survey

Those who lean to the Democratic Party have become more critical of Democratic leaders. When asked why they lean toward a party – rather than identify with it – many leaners say they do not want to put a political label on their views, while nearly as many offer that they are frustrated with the leadership of the party they lean toward. The share of Democratic leaners who cite frustration with the party’s leaders as a major reason for why they do not more closely associate with the party has risen from 28% in 2016 to 40% currently. Over the same period, the share of Republican leaners who express frustration with GOP leadership has declined from 52% to 39%.

The GOP is divided over leaders who endorse Trump’s unproven election claims. About half of Republicans (51%) say they like political leaders who publicly assert that Donald Trump was the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election; 17% say they do not like such leaders, while 31% neither like nor dislike them. Those who identify strongly with the GOP – strong Republicans, who make up 70% of all Republicans – are far more likely than those who identify with the party less strongly or Republican leaners to express positive views of such leaders. About six-in-ten strong Republicans (59%) express positive views of leaders who say Trump won in 2020, compared with 31% of less strong Republicans and 24% of Republican-leaning independents.

Republicans and Democrats express increasingly positive views of themselves . While Republicans and Democrats express increasingly negative views of those in the other party, they have become more positive about the people in their party. For example, a majority of Republicans (63%) now say that members of their party are a lot or somewhat more moral than other Americans; about half of Republicans (51%) said that in 2016 and 2019. The share of Democrats who say their fellow Democrats are more moral than other Americans has increased from 38% in 2016 to 51% currently.

Deeply negative views of the opposing party are far more widespread than in the past. About six-in ten Republicans (62%) and more than half of Democrats (54%) have a very unfavorable view of the other party in Pew Research Center surveys conducted this year. While these highly negative views of the opposing party are little changed in the last few years, the share expressing this level of antipathy is higher than it was even five years ago, and considerably higher than it was a few decades ago. In 1994, fewer than a quarter in both parties rated the other party very unfavorably.

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Human Subjects Office

Medical terms in lay language.

Please use these descriptions in place of medical jargon in consent documents, recruitment materials and other study documents. Note: These terms are not the only acceptable plain language alternatives for these vocabulary words.

This glossary of terms is derived from a list copyrighted by the University of Kentucky, Office of Research Integrity (1990).

For clinical research-specific definitions, see also the Clinical Research Glossary developed by the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard  and the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) .

Alternative Lay Language for Medical Terms for use in Informed Consent Documents

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I  J  K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W  X  Y  Z

ABDOMEN/ABDOMINAL body cavity below diaphragm that contains stomach, intestines, liver and other organs ABSORB take up fluids, take in ACIDOSIS condition when blood contains more acid than normal ACUITY clearness, keenness, esp. of vision and airways ACUTE new, recent, sudden, urgent ADENOPATHY swollen lymph nodes (glands) ADJUVANT helpful, assisting, aiding, supportive ADJUVANT TREATMENT added treatment (usually to a standard treatment) ANTIBIOTIC drug that kills bacteria and other germs ANTIMICROBIAL drug that kills bacteria and other germs ANTIRETROVIRAL drug that works against the growth of certain viruses ADVERSE EFFECT side effect, bad reaction, unwanted response ALLERGIC REACTION rash, hives, swelling, trouble breathing AMBULATE/AMBULATION/AMBULATORY walk, able to walk ANAPHYLAXIS serious, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction ANEMIA decreased red blood cells; low red cell blood count ANESTHETIC a drug or agent used to decrease the feeling of pain, or eliminate the feeling of pain by putting you to sleep ANGINA pain resulting from not enough blood flowing to the heart ANGINA PECTORIS pain resulting from not enough blood flowing to the heart ANOREXIA disorder in which person will not eat; lack of appetite ANTECUBITAL related to the inner side of the forearm ANTIBODY protein made in the body in response to foreign substance ANTICONVULSANT drug used to prevent seizures ANTILIPEMIC a drug that lowers fat levels in the blood ANTITUSSIVE a drug used to relieve coughing ARRHYTHMIA abnormal heartbeat; any change from the normal heartbeat ASPIRATION fluid entering the lungs, such as after vomiting ASSAY lab test ASSESS to learn about, measure, evaluate, look at ASTHMA lung disease associated with tightening of air passages, making breathing difficult ASYMPTOMATIC without symptoms AXILLA armpit

BENIGN not malignant, without serious consequences BID twice a day BINDING/BOUND carried by, to make stick together, transported BIOAVAILABILITY the extent to which a drug or other substance becomes available to the body BLOOD PROFILE series of blood tests BOLUS a large amount given all at once BONE MASS the amount of calcium and other minerals in a given amount of bone BRADYARRHYTHMIAS slow, irregular heartbeats BRADYCARDIA slow heartbeat BRONCHOSPASM breathing distress caused by narrowing of the airways

CARCINOGENIC cancer-causing CARCINOMA type of cancer CARDIAC related to the heart CARDIOVERSION return to normal heartbeat by electric shock CATHETER a tube for withdrawing or giving fluids CATHETER a tube placed near the spinal cord and used for anesthesia (indwelling epidural) during surgery CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) brain and spinal cord CEREBRAL TRAUMA damage to the brain CESSATION stopping CHD coronary heart disease CHEMOTHERAPY treatment of disease, usually cancer, by chemical agents CHRONIC continuing for a long time, ongoing CLINICAL pertaining to medical care CLINICAL TRIAL an experiment involving human subjects COMA unconscious state COMPLETE RESPONSE total disappearance of disease CONGENITAL present before birth CONJUNCTIVITIS redness and irritation of the thin membrane that covers the eye CONSOLIDATION PHASE treatment phase intended to make a remission permanent (follows induction phase) CONTROLLED TRIAL research study in which the experimental treatment or procedure is compared to a standard (control) treatment or procedure COOPERATIVE GROUP association of multiple institutions to perform clinical trials CORONARY related to the blood vessels that supply the heart, or to the heart itself CT SCAN (CAT) computerized series of x-rays (computerized tomography) CULTURE test for infection, or for organisms that could cause infection CUMULATIVE added together from the beginning CUTANEOUS relating to the skin CVA stroke (cerebrovascular accident)

DERMATOLOGIC pertaining to the skin DIASTOLIC lower number in a blood pressure reading DISTAL toward the end, away from the center of the body DIURETIC "water pill" or drug that causes increase in urination DOPPLER device using sound waves to diagnose or test DOUBLE BLIND study in which neither investigators nor subjects know what drug or treatment the subject is receiving DYSFUNCTION state of improper function DYSPLASIA abnormal cells

ECHOCARDIOGRAM sound wave test of the heart EDEMA excess fluid collecting in tissue EEG electric brain wave tracing (electroencephalogram) EFFICACY effectiveness ELECTROCARDIOGRAM electrical tracing of the heartbeat (ECG or EKG) ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE an imbalance of minerals in the blood EMESIS vomiting EMPIRIC based on experience ENDOSCOPIC EXAMINATION viewing an  internal part of the body with a lighted tube  ENTERAL by way of the intestines EPIDURAL outside the spinal cord ERADICATE get rid of (such as disease) Page 2 of 7 EVALUATED, ASSESSED examined for a medical condition EXPEDITED REVIEW rapid review of a protocol by the IRB Chair without full committee approval, permitted with certain low-risk research studies EXTERNAL outside the body EXTRAVASATE to leak outside of a planned area, such as out of a blood vessel

FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the branch of federal government that approves new drugs FIBROUS having many fibers, such as scar tissue FIBRILLATION irregular beat of the heart or other muscle

GENERAL ANESTHESIA pain prevention by giving drugs to cause loss of consciousness, as during surgery GESTATIONAL pertaining to pregnancy

HEMATOCRIT amount of red blood cells in the blood HEMATOMA a bruise, a black and blue mark HEMODYNAMIC MEASURING blood flow HEMOLYSIS breakdown in red blood cells HEPARIN LOCK needle placed in the arm with blood thinner to keep the blood from clotting HEPATOMA cancer or tumor of the liver HERITABLE DISEASE can be transmitted to one’s offspring, resulting in damage to future children HISTOPATHOLOGIC pertaining to the disease status of body tissues or cells HOLTER MONITOR a portable machine for recording heart beats HYPERCALCEMIA high blood calcium level HYPERKALEMIA high blood potassium level HYPERNATREMIA high blood sodium level HYPERTENSION high blood pressure HYPOCALCEMIA low blood calcium level HYPOKALEMIA low blood potassium level HYPONATREMIA low blood sodium level HYPOTENSION low blood pressure HYPOXEMIA a decrease of oxygen in the blood HYPOXIA a decrease of oxygen reaching body tissues HYSTERECTOMY surgical removal of the uterus, ovaries (female sex glands), or both uterus and ovaries

IATROGENIC caused by a physician or by treatment IDE investigational device exemption, the license to test an unapproved new medical device IDIOPATHIC of unknown cause IMMUNITY defense against, protection from IMMUNOGLOBIN a protein that makes antibodies IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE drug which works against the body's immune (protective) response, often used in transplantation and diseases caused by immune system malfunction IMMUNOTHERAPY giving of drugs to help the body's immune (protective) system; usually used to destroy cancer cells IMPAIRED FUNCTION abnormal function IMPLANTED placed in the body IND investigational new drug, the license to test an unapproved new drug INDUCTION PHASE beginning phase or stage of a treatment INDURATION hardening INDWELLING remaining in a given location, such as a catheter INFARCT death of tissue due to lack of blood supply INFECTIOUS DISEASE transmitted from one person to the next INFLAMMATION swelling that is generally painful, red, and warm INFUSION slow injection of a substance into the body, usually into the blood by means of a catheter INGESTION eating; taking by mouth INTERFERON drug which acts against viruses; antiviral agent INTERMITTENT occurring (regularly or irregularly) between two time points; repeatedly stopping, then starting again INTERNAL within the body INTERIOR inside of the body INTRAMUSCULAR into the muscle; within the muscle INTRAPERITONEAL into the abdominal cavity INTRATHECAL into the spinal fluid INTRAVENOUS (IV) through the vein INTRAVESICAL in the bladder INTUBATE the placement of a tube into the airway INVASIVE PROCEDURE puncturing, opening, or cutting the skin INVESTIGATIONAL NEW DRUG (IND) a new drug that has not been approved by the FDA INVESTIGATIONAL METHOD a treatment method which has not been proven to be beneficial or has not been accepted as standard care ISCHEMIA decreased oxygen in a tissue (usually because of decreased blood flow)

LAPAROTOMY surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the abdominal wall to enable a doctor to look at the organs inside LESION wound or injury; a diseased patch of skin LETHARGY sleepiness, tiredness LEUKOPENIA low white blood cell count LIPID fat LIPID CONTENT fat content in the blood LIPID PROFILE (PANEL) fat and cholesterol levels in the blood LOCAL ANESTHESIA creation of insensitivity to pain in a small, local area of the body, usually by injection of numbing drugs LOCALIZED restricted to one area, limited to one area LUMEN the cavity of an organ or tube (e.g., blood vessel) LYMPHANGIOGRAPHY an x-ray of the lymph nodes or tissues after injecting dye into lymph vessels (e.g., in feet) LYMPHOCYTE a type of white blood cell important in immunity (protection) against infection LYMPHOMA a cancer of the lymph nodes (or tissues)

MALAISE a vague feeling of bodily discomfort, feeling badly MALFUNCTION condition in which something is not functioning properly MALIGNANCY cancer or other progressively enlarging and spreading tumor, usually fatal if not successfully treated MEDULLABLASTOMA a type of brain tumor MEGALOBLASTOSIS change in red blood cells METABOLIZE process of breaking down substances in the cells to obtain energy METASTASIS spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another METRONIDAZOLE drug used to treat infections caused by parasites (invading organisms that take up living in the body) or other causes of anaerobic infection (not requiring oxygen to survive) MI myocardial infarction, heart attack MINIMAL slight MINIMIZE reduce as much as possible Page 4 of 7 MONITOR check on; keep track of; watch carefully MOBILITY ease of movement MORBIDITY undesired result or complication MORTALITY death MOTILITY the ability to move MRI magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic pictures of the inside of the body, created using magnetic rather than x-ray energy MUCOSA, MUCOUS MEMBRANE moist lining of digestive, respiratory, reproductive, and urinary tracts MYALGIA muscle aches MYOCARDIAL pertaining to the heart muscle MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION heart attack

NASOGASTRIC TUBE placed in the nose, reaching to the stomach NCI the National Cancer Institute NECROSIS death of tissue NEOPLASIA/NEOPLASM tumor, may be benign or malignant NEUROBLASTOMA a cancer of nerve tissue NEUROLOGICAL pertaining to the nervous system NEUTROPENIA decrease in the main part of the white blood cells NIH the National Institutes of Health NONINVASIVE not breaking, cutting, or entering the skin NOSOCOMIAL acquired in the hospital

OCCLUSION closing; blockage; obstruction ONCOLOGY the study of tumors or cancer OPHTHALMIC pertaining to the eye OPTIMAL best, most favorable or desirable ORAL ADMINISTRATION by mouth ORTHOPEDIC pertaining to the bones OSTEOPETROSIS rare bone disorder characterized by dense bone OSTEOPOROSIS softening of the bones OVARIES female sex glands

PARENTERAL given by injection PATENCY condition of being open PATHOGENESIS development of a disease or unhealthy condition PERCUTANEOUS through the skin PERIPHERAL not central PER OS (PO) by mouth PHARMACOKINETICS the study of the way the body absorbs, distributes, and gets rid of a drug PHASE I first phase of study of a new drug in humans to determine action, safety, and proper dosing PHASE II second phase of study of a new drug in humans, intended to gather information about safety and effectiveness of the drug for certain uses PHASE III large-scale studies to confirm and expand information on safety and effectiveness of new drug for certain uses, and to study common side effects PHASE IV studies done after the drug is approved by the FDA, especially to compare it to standard care or to try it for new uses PHLEBITIS irritation or inflammation of the vein PLACEBO an inactive substance; a pill/liquid that contains no medicine PLACEBO EFFECT improvement seen with giving subjects a placebo, though it contains no active drug/treatment PLATELETS small particles in the blood that help with clotting POTENTIAL possible POTENTIATE increase or multiply the effect of a drug or toxin (poison) by giving another drug or toxin at the same time (sometimes an unintentional result) POTENTIATOR an agent that helps another agent work better PRENATAL before birth PROPHYLAXIS a drug given to prevent disease or infection PER OS (PO) by mouth PRN as needed PROGNOSIS outlook, probable outcomes PRONE lying on the stomach PROSPECTIVE STUDY following patients forward in time PROSTHESIS artificial part, most often limbs, such as arms or legs PROTOCOL plan of study PROXIMAL closer to the center of the body, away from the end PULMONARY pertaining to the lungs

QD every day; daily QID four times a day

RADIATION THERAPY x-ray or cobalt treatment RANDOM by chance (like the flip of a coin) RANDOMIZATION chance selection RBC red blood cell RECOMBINANT formation of new combinations of genes RECONSTITUTION putting back together the original parts or elements RECUR happen again REFRACTORY not responding to treatment REGENERATION re-growth of a structure or of lost tissue REGIMEN pattern of giving treatment RELAPSE the return of a disease REMISSION disappearance of evidence of cancer or other disease RENAL pertaining to the kidneys REPLICABLE possible to duplicate RESECT remove or cut out surgically RETROSPECTIVE STUDY looking back over past experience

SARCOMA a type of cancer SEDATIVE a drug to calm or make less anxious SEMINOMA a type of testicular cancer (found in the male sex glands) SEQUENTIALLY in a row, in order SOMNOLENCE sleepiness SPIROMETER an instrument to measure the amount of air taken into and exhaled from the lungs STAGING an evaluation of the extent of the disease STANDARD OF CARE a treatment plan that the majority of the medical community would accept as appropriate STENOSIS narrowing of a duct, tube, or one of the blood vessels in the heart STOMATITIS mouth sores, inflammation of the mouth STRATIFY arrange in groups for analysis of results (e.g., stratify by age, sex, etc.) STUPOR stunned state in which it is difficult to get a response or the attention of the subject SUBCLAVIAN under the collarbone SUBCUTANEOUS under the skin SUPINE lying on the back SUPPORTIVE CARE general medical care aimed at symptoms, not intended to improve or cure underlying disease SYMPTOMATIC having symptoms SYNDROME a condition characterized by a set of symptoms SYSTOLIC top number in blood pressure; pressure during active contraction of the heart

TERATOGENIC capable of causing malformations in a fetus (developing baby still inside the mother’s body) TESTES/TESTICLES male sex glands THROMBOSIS clotting THROMBUS blood clot TID three times a day TITRATION a method for deciding on the strength of a drug or solution; gradually increasing the dose T-LYMPHOCYTES type of white blood cells TOPICAL on the surface TOPICAL ANESTHETIC applied to a certain area of the skin and reducing pain only in the area to which applied TOXICITY side effects or undesirable effects of a drug or treatment TRANSDERMAL through the skin TRANSIENTLY temporarily TRAUMA injury; wound TREADMILL walking machine used to test heart function

UPTAKE absorbing and taking in of a substance by living tissue

VALVULOPLASTY plastic repair of a valve, especially a heart valve VARICES enlarged veins VASOSPASM narrowing of the blood vessels VECTOR a carrier that can transmit disease-causing microorganisms (germs and viruses) VENIPUNCTURE needle stick, blood draw, entering the skin with a needle VERTICAL TRANSMISSION spread of disease

WBC white blood cell

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Research Database Creation: Basics and Best Practices 2020

Are you involved in building a database for your research project?

Building an appropriate database for your study is critical to ensuring successful data collection and analysis. Learn how to build a database in this 90-minute Tufts CTSI workshop, Research Database Creation: Basics & Best Practices . This session will begin with an interactive lecture presented by Rachael Huebner, a Clinical Data Manager at Tufts CTSI, followed by a workshop in which participants will practice building a simple database in Excel.

This workshop is a prerequisite to a subsequent workshop, Research Database Creation: Building a REDCap Database .  Please note, in this workshop, we will not be using REDCap , but we will be learning the fundamentals required for database creation, which will inform our second session where REDCap will be used.

After attending this event, you should be able to:

• Recognize database creation best practices
• Identify the clinical and demographic data needed to answer a study question
• Effectively name and code variables
• Create an Excel sheet appropriate for study data collection

Date: Thursday, March 12, noon-1:30PM

Location: ONLINE ONLY

This workshop is a prerequisite to a subsequent workshop, Research Database Creation: Building a REDCap Database .

Registration

This workshop is designed for research assistants, clinical research coordinators, investigators, residents, and fellows who will be creating or working with databases for research projects.

To attend, please register here by March 5.

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Tufts CTSI’s  Professional Education  programs provide non-degree continuing education and training for clinical and translational research professionals from all Tufts CTSI partners and beyond.

Course enrollment priority is given to researchers from Tufts CTSI partner institutions. If your participation needs to be approved by your supervisor or a person responsible for your time release, you may provide their contact information when you register for the program.

This course is provided free of charge, and was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of health, Award Number UL1TR002544. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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