Research data management and information security: Role of Library and Information Technology Service (ITS) units in federal universities of technology in Nigeria

Abstract

This exploratory study presents how information security affects research data management in all the Federal Universities of Technology (FUTs) in Nigeria. These FUTs in Nigeria are: The Federal University of Technology, Minna; Federal University of Technology, Akure; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola; and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. Lack of trust in the available security systems and safety procedures guiding the Institutional Repositories (IR) has been identified as a perceived impediment to depositing intellectual outputs and the underlying research data by researchers. The consequence of this is poor patronage of the IR and low content of repositories of FUTs in Nigeria. The objective of this study was therefore to identify the available support systems in the Libraries and Information Technology Service (ITS) Units of FUTs in Nigeria. The study used face-to-face semi-structured interview methods conducted on five university librarians and five heads of ITS Units of FUTs in Nigeria, who are responsible for the development and management of institutional repositories and are also stakeholders in effective research data management. For data transcription and analysis, this study adopted the Braun and Clarke (2006) thematic analysis approach, which involves a six-phase qualitative data analysis. Findings of the study confirmed that hacking, as a cyber threat, still poses a great threat to intellectual output and research data deposited in the IR of FUTs in Nigeria. The study recommended the need for continued capacity building to improve the cybersecurity skills and data management skills of ITS staff and librarians, respectively.