Research Data Services @ Georgia State University Library: RDS@GSU ~
Get DATA Certified!

Get RDS@GSU Data Certified!

Here's how:

1. Learn about our various Research Data Services (RDS) workshops:
   • ​​See these pages for descriptions of our workshops on data analysis tools/software, data analysis methods, data visualization and mapping, and finding data.
2. Find listings of the dates/times/location of our RDS workshops on the Library Calendar.
   • ​Look for the logo with the GET DATA CERTIFIED seal (see image at right), or
   • Filter by: Category = Data Services Workshops.
3. Attend a minimum of five unique RDS workshops during the certification period.
   • IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS have no registration -- the first 25 people to arrive *on time* will be able to attend the workshop; workshop instructors may choose to refuse admittance to those arriving more than 5 minutes late. ONLINE WORKSHOPS have no registration and no attendance restrictions -- the more the merrier!
     • ​Please also review our Workshops Etiquette & Policies page, which has important information about why we no longer have workshop registration, our policy for arriving late to workshops, and non-GSU attendees.
   • Once you are at the workshop, you will be given a link to check-in to the workshop. It is your responsibility to check-in via our online check-in link provided during the workshop -- it is the only way that we are tracking workshop attendance for the certificate requirements.
     • Once you submit the online check-in form, you will receive a confirmation email listing the individual workshop title and its date -- please save these emails to track your workshop attendance.
     • We will not retroactively check you in to a workshop if you failed to do so, and we will not count workshops toward the certification if our online check-in system does not show you as having attended.
   • There are two certification periods per year: (1) Summer & Fall semesters, and (2) Spring semester.
     • You cannot count workshops you took in one certificate period for the next certificate period -- in other words, you cannot count any Summer/Fall workshops you attended toward a Spring certificate, and you cannot count any Spring workshops you attended toward a Summer/Fall certificate. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made to this policy.
     • Certificates are only distributed at the end of the certification period. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made to this policy, regardless of GSU or non-GSU status.
       • Completed your five minimum workshops in the GSU Summer semester? The certification period is for both Summer and Fall semesters -- so you will not receive your certificate until the end of the GSU Fall semester, which is in December.
       • Completed your five minimum workshops in the early part of the GSU Fall semester? The certification period is for both Summer and Fall semesters -- so you will not receive your certificate until the end of the GSU Fall semester, which is in December.
       • Completed your five minimum workshops in the early part of the GSU Spring semester? The certification period is for the Spring semester -- so you will not receive your certificate until the end of the GSU Spring semester, which is in May.
   • What does "unique" mean? While you're welcome to attend the same workshop multiple times in a certification period, to earn the data certificate you need to attend a minimum of five *unique* workshops within the given certification period:
     • For example, if you take Stata 1 two times within a certification period, it can only count once toward your five workshops during that specific certification period. If you take Stata 1, Stata 2, and Stata 3, those count as three workshops toward the five needed for the certification in that certification period.
   • You can repeat a workshop in a different certification period and have it count toward the new certification:
     • ​For example, if you took Stata 1 during the Spring certification period, and you wish to earn another certificate in the Summer/Fall certification period, it is alright to take Stata 1 again in the Summer/Fall certification period and have it count toward the five unique workshops you need for that new certification.
   • Attending a Data in the ATL talk *does not* count as a workshop toward the certificate.
     • ​Only workshops/sessions in which a methodology and/or a software application is taught and that involve learning specific data/methods skills are counted toward the certification; Data in the ATL talks do not meet these specific outcomes.
4. If you've attended a minimum five unique RDS workshops during a certification period, you get certifed!
   • Once the last workshop has been offered for the entire certification period, we'll tally attendance to determine who should be awarded certificates.
   • If you've made your minimum five, you will receive a PDF version of the certificate via email.​

So get RDS@GSU Data Certified!

Here is what some of the RDS@GSU Data Certificate awardees had to say about the experience:

The certificate is a great opportunity to become a more competitive candidate while applying for a job. The workshops were very interactive.

I thought the RDS@ GSU Data Certification incentivized my participation in the RDS workshops. The workshops themselves were great and it definitely helped me brush up on prior skills and knowledge.

Certification looks amazing on resumes, I also found what was covered useful to my practice of SAS & SPSS.

It is essential for me as a student majoring in Epidemiology. I will be involved in research, and the only way to answer some of the world’s health problems is making sense out of data. I’m confident this certificate will prove useful for me in getting a job. The entire program is flexible, and the materials are very helpful in understanding the course content.

Questions?

Direct questions to the RDS Team Leader, Dr. Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh (aswygarthobaugh@gsu.edu).