Active Curation of Large Longitudinal Surveys: A Case Study

In this paper we take an in-depth look at the curation of a large longitudinal survey and activities and procedures involved in moving the data from its generation to the state that is needed to conduct scientific analysis. Using a case study approach, we describe how large surveys generate a range of data assets that require many decisions well before the data is considered for analysis and publication. We use the notion of active curation to describe activities and decisions about the data objects that are “live,” i.e., when they are still being collected and processed for the later stages of the data lifecycle. Our efforts illustrate a gap in the existing discussions on curation. On one hand, there is an acknowledged need for active or upstream curation as an engagement of curators close to the point of data creation. On the other hand, the recommendations on how to do that are scattered across multiple domain-oriented data efforts. In describing the complexities of active curation of survey data and providing general recommendations we aim to draw attention to the practices of active curation, stimulate the development of interoperable tools, standards, and techniques needed at the initial stages of research projects, and encourage collaborations between libraries and other academic units.