A survey on the dissemination and usage of research data management and related tools in German mechanical and industrial engineering sciences

As the amount of collected and analysed data increases, a need for data management arises to ensure its usability. This also applies in research. This challenge can be addressed by Research Data Management (RDM), which focuses on the reusability of data. To answer the research question “What is the current status of RDM the field of mechanical and industrial engineering in German Engineering Sciences?”, an exploratory survey was conducted over the last quarter of 2020. This survey depicts the status quo of RDM in engineering sciences in Germany, as well as challenges and improvement chances. 168 (n=168) researchers from the engineering sciences in Germany provided their view via a questionnaire that contains 39 questions. The results give insights on the interviewees’ knowledge and perceived relevance of RDM in their daily research activities. Key findings are the need of researchers in mechanical and industrial engineering, especially guidance and support regarding RDM. Additionally, some main reasons against RDM (missing knowledge and additional effort) could be identified. The survey closed with questions regarding reasons that could prevent researchers from adapting sustainable RDM. This paper provides a qualitative overview over the current RDM in engineering and pointing out possible strategies to foster it, namely the integration of guidance and education for RDM. Along the paper we publish the collected data set to enable further analysis and reuse.