ABSTRACT
Working with data in increasingly complex formats requires knowledge of relational databases for efficiency, control, and greater efficacy in analysis and management. In addition, researchers need to have an understanding of how to “scrape” data from online sources to use it in their own work and projects. They also need to know how to prepare data for use by others in what are known as APIs (Applied Programming Interfaces) that allow information exchange. Databases should be designed with their purpose in mind since decisions about the organization and structure of data will limit the ways it can be used or repurposed. Not all data should be subject to the same guidelines, and concepts of openness and access need to be modified to account for community control of cultural and intellectual property in digital form.
