Data Literacy and Research Data Management: Upskilling Your Data Competencies for Your Thesis

Speakers: Dr. Barbara Löhde and Dr. Merle Schatz, SUB, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Mondays, 12–2 PM (c.t.), weekly from 26.10.2026 to 08.02.2027
No class on: 28.12.2026 and 04.01.2027

Collecting, documenting, securing data, analyzing – every thesis runs into these challenges, yet few students are ever taught how to handle them properly. This course teaches you the essentials of data literacy and research data management, using your own BA or MA project as your working example.

This course is aimed at BA and MA students in their qualification phase and introduces the core competencies needed to handle research data in line with principles of good scientific practice and the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). It focuses on developing data literacy across key competence areas such as data collection, data management, data evaluation, data interpretation, and the underlying conceptual framework. Particular attention is given to data management, which is practiced across all phases of the research data life cycle – using your own BA or MA project as a working example, from planning to collecting, documenting, organizing, storing, and sharing data.

The course is primarily intended for Bachelor and Master students from the social sciences and humanities who are at least in the initial planning phase of their BA or MA thesis.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

• understand the fundamental concepts of data literacy (DL) and research data management (RDM)
• manage data in a structured, effective, transparent, and ethical manner, in accordance with the guidelines of good scientific practice and the FAIR principles
• write your own data management plan (DMP)
• critically evaluate, analyze, and interpret data, including its collection, management, analysis, storage, and reuse

Important Information for Students across Lower Saxony

This seminar is a 4 ECTS key competence module (Module SQ.SoWi.60) offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Göttingen and is open to all students enrolled at universities in Lower Saxony.

Upon successful completion of the course, you can receive a micro-credential from the University of Göttingen, so that your acquired data literacy competencies remain verifiable through the certificate.

For questions on certification and registration please feel free to contact Barbara Löhde: barbara.loehde@sub.uni-goettingen.de