Design and Users’ Acceptance Testing of a Computer-Based Research Data Management System in Federal Universities of Technology in Nigeria

Abstract

Management of research data is becoming increasingly important especially as it is being required as a core requirement by journal publishers and funding agencies. Users' experience, as gathered from researchers in five federal universities of technology in Nigeria, showed that knowing the actual data to manage, how to manage, when, and where to manage it is quite difficult. This study developed and conducted users’ acceptance testing of a computer-based Research Data Management System (RDMS) that would guide researchers, who are actual data producers, on proper data management through their research life cycle so that they could come up with a product (datasets) that repositories (libraries) can accept and manage for future reuse. Chemistry was purposively selected as the discipline in focus. Interview method was used to understand the existing research data workflow of chemists while questionnaire was used to conduct the users acceptance testing. Evolutionary prototyping technique was used for software development while constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was adapted for acceptance testing. Findings revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions had no significant effects on the behavioural intentions to use the system. However, research experience and social influence had significant effects. Hence, libraries in the federal universities of technology in Nigeria should roll out research data services and intensify efforts on advocacy and training on use of the RDMS by chemists.