Games and Gamification in Research Data Management: Engaging methods to foster better data practices

Gamification 🎮 — the use of game elements in non-game contexts — offers promising ways to raise data literacy 📊 and promote more mindful research data management (RDM) 🗂️. By incorporating playful elements 🧩, training participants can engage in active learning 🧠 and receive immediate feedback ✅ that strengthens reflection and long-term retention 🔁. Researchers can benefit from gamification by turning routine activities — such as documenting datasets 📝, curating metadata 🏷️, or checking file completeness 📁 — into engaging challenges 🏆 that encourage consistency, collaboration 🤝, and a culture of continuous improvement 🌱. In this hands-on workshop, participants will: 🎯 Learn about the differences between games and gamification 📚 Explore concrete examples of games that can be reused in research data management training, based on a collection of the Sub-WG Training/Further Education of the DINI/nestor WG Research Data 💡 Brainstorm how RDM tasks could be gamified to inspire behavioural change — for example, better metadata 🏷️, more complete documentation 🗃️, or data publication 🚀. The session targets RDM professionals (such as data stewards) and RDM trainers. It provides a space to exchange experiences 💬, to explore playful approaches 🎲, and to discuss how game elements could support behavior change in research data management 🔄.Max Participants: 20 👥Language: English 🇬🇧