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<b><h4>How do you keep a record of your research?</h4></b>

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<b>Dr Erika Mancini, Reader in Biomedical Structural Biology, University of Sussex</b>

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Keeping an accurate record of research is very important, and that is obviously necessary in order to be able to reproduce the data. But also, it's now a fundamental requirement of the funding agencies that grant the money for the work. Specifically, we also have to obey by a number of practices that are given us by our institution, by the Sussex University. So this is a very important part.

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In my case specifically, our main output data are protein models of protein structures, and we are fortunate enough to be able to deposit the data with the protein data bank, which is a free database available to us. We also are able to deposit our primary of the Diamond Light synchrotron source, which is where we go and collect our data. 

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<b>Dr Marie Thomas, Reader in Psychology, Bath Spa University</b>

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Well originally, I kept written records because we didn't have the computer systems in place. But now I use all electronic ways of recording information. I think it's sometimes good to have both, because then if one fails, as computers can, then you still have the written record. So maybe having both versions is a good idea.

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You certainly need to keep records about participants recruited, dropout rates, randomisation codes, and things like that. So I think, yes, it's data, keeping your data electronically safe. And any statistical analysis that you might be using. 
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<b><h4>Why do you feel it is important to keep a secure record of what you have done?</h4></b>

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<b>Dr Erika Mancini:</b> The main reason to keep an accurate record of research that we have done is that be able to produce that research. And that is important both for external colleagues to be able to reproduce that research, but also within my lab. So that researchers that joined the lab through the years, and it often happens, are able to reproduce the data without losing timeliness. So doing it in a very fast way.

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We are also very much involved in biomedical medical research in my lab. So it is very important that we secure our records, so that any future IP claim, intellectual property claim, can be protected. 
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<b><h4>Have there been times when you should have kept a better record of your work?</h4></b>

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<b>Dr Erika Mancini:</b> Recently, during our work we have come across a case of poor record keeping. So we were trying to compare a structure of a protein that we have solved with a structure of a protein that was solved 17 years ago by a different group. They hadn't unfortunately deposited their data, which meant that we could not compare effectively our data to theirs. 

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And that was, despite the fact that that data was published. So despite it being peer-reviewed, there was no record of the data. Fortunately, attitudes towards maintaining records of research have changed during these 17 years. And now in my field, for example, it is impossible to publish a paper with a model of a protein without it being first deposited in the protein data bank. 

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<b>Dr Marie Thomas:</b> No, but I've been very fortunate in that I've worked with very experienced researchers, professors, experts in their field. And they have always insisted that I keep good written or electronic records, which has seen me very well in my research career. 