Research Data Handoffs

Research rarely fails because files are lost. It fails when meaning is lost: a column nobody can explain, a cleaning rule that was never written down, a folder left behind by someone who has moved on. This guide follows a dataset from the first planning conversation to long-term archiving and shows what the next person needs at every handoff. You will find short, repeatable habits for planning, documenting, processing, storing and sharing data, plus a five-step handoff process with an acceptance check, an exit routine for departing students and staff, and advice on repositories, licences and retention. Worked examples use fictional composite teams, and checklists, a README outline and a glossary are collected in a printable Quick Reference. Written for research groups, lab managers, data stewards, librarians and independent researchers.