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Work with RDDS

There are many ways that you can work with Penn Libraries’ Research Data & Digital Scholarship (RDDS)! This page details the services and offerings we provide, organized by level of collaboration from the broadest to the most custom. Look below to find the level of service that makes sense for your needs.

General Inquiries

Have a question or general inquiry about the Research Data & Digital Scholarship department at Penn? Email us at LibraryRDDS@pobox.upenn.edu.

Workshops

Interested in learning more about specific tools or methods? RDDS offers numerous workshops throughout the academic year. Check out the RDDS Upcoming Events calendar for what’s on tap this semester, or view our list of recorded prior workshops at our Training Hub.

Consultation Requests

Need more specific help for your own project, or want assistance with a specific digital research question, tool, or method? Request a consultation with an RDDS staff member. We have expertise in the following areas and are happy to help.

Areas of expertise

Planning and Conceptual Topics

Data Analysis Methods and Tools

Sharing Your Research

Get in touch with the specialist in your area of interest.

Course-Integrated Instruction, Custom Workshops, and Public Workshops

Would you like to request a custom workshop in one of the following areas for your class, community, organization, or a research group in one of our supported areas of expertise? Please complete our workshop request form.

Collaborative Digital Projects and Partnerships

Want to work collaboratively on a larger data analysis or custom digital scholarship project? We can help you plan projects from start to finish, and will gladly collaborate with you to manage, perform, and realize your research goals. Our team has deep expertise in our own areas of specialization and can help you utilize sustainable infrastructure to produce world-class research outputs. To propose a new partnership, please fill out our Digital Project Request Form with your project idea, and we will be happy to consult with you on our ability to collaborate.

Guidelines for working with RDDS

Consultation Service Guidelines

  • As a general rule, RDDS provides consultation services for software and coding platforms that we support. We do not offer deep methodological support within specific disciplines. We may be able to suggest resources for methodological choices (such as Sage Research Methods) to assist learners.
  • Our consultation services, especially the Student Statistical Software Consultant services, are not intended to be a tutoring support service or provide consultations on homework assignments, statistical methods, interpretation of results, or other questions that should be based on the researcher’s ideas and disciplinary expectations. We aim to help users become independent in their work. 
  • Staff may suggest that users take introductory courses, refer to learning resources and documentation, or refer users to their advisors, teaching assistants, etc, to help with assignments.
  • We are unable to assist with detailed troubleshooting of software or the Virtual Lab installation beyond our specific areas of expertise. Please contact the IT Helpdesk for questions about software, hardware, or the Virtual Lab.

Project Partnership Guidelines

  • RDDS reserves the right to collaborate only on the projects we feel we can successfully and sustainably support, given our expertise and capacity.
  • We do not provide protracted, for-hire, or contract-based consultation services, but are willing to discuss collaborating on grant-funded projects, pending capacity.

 

Maps and More

Campus Libraries Map

Staff Information

Resources for Staff Committees