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Keeping Research Data Safe (KRDS) is a cost framework that can be used to develop and apply local cost models for research data management and long-term preservation. The exact application may depend on the purpose of the costing, which might include:

• identifying current costs;
• identifying former or future costs;
• comparing costs across different collections and institutions which have used different variables;
• developing a charging policy or appropriate archiving costs to be charged to projects;
• focussing in more selectively on particular activities and modelling the effect of changes to specific processes.

The major outputs from KRDS have been the project final reports (KRDS 2008 and KRDS 2010) and the supplementary materials to the KRDS2 final report available from the KRDS2 project website (http://www.beagrie.com/jisc.php). The KRDS final reports have been extremely well received by the community. However the project outcomes such as case studies and guidance are now split over two long reports, appendices and supplementary material.

The KRDS User Guide has been developed to support easier assimilation of the combined work of the KRDS1 and KRDS2 projects by those wishing to implement the tools or key findings.

The User Guide is an edited selection and synthesis of the KRDS reports combined with newly commissioned text and illustrations. It provides a succinct summary of key implementation guidance and tools, links to prepared extracts such as case studies from the reports, and additional guidance on its application.

URL : http://www.beagrie.com/KeepingResearchDataSafe_UserGuide_v1_Dec2010.pdf