Archiving practices

The research area of archiving practices focuses on issues such as the management and coverage of data collections, data processing and curation, data documentation and metadata standards, and the legal frameworks governing data access and licensing.

In the context of interoperable metadata, GESIS is exploring how existing metadata standards (such as DDI, Dublin Core, DataCite, da|ra) can be leveraged to develop interconnected infrastructures for the documentation of research data.

In the field of data linking, key concerns include data protection and data quality. By linking various data sources, it becomes possible to integrate more comprehensive information about individuals and their surroundings, which may raise data protection challenges. At the same time, this approach enables data validation, the exploration of complex relationships, and the ability to answer research questions that cannot be addressed with survey data alone – thereby enhancing overall data quality.

Furthermore, research is being conducted on the trustworthiness of data archives and the creation of trusted research environments.