Teaching RDM in a Smart Advanced Inorganic Lab Course and Its Provision in the DALIA Platform

Abstract Research data management (RDM) is a key data literacy skill that chemistry students must acquire. Concepts such as the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) should be taught and applied in undergraduate studies already. Traditionally, research data from labs, theses, and internships were handwritten and stored in inaccessible formats such as PDFs, limiting reuse and machine learning applications. At RWTH Aachen University, a fifth-semester lab course introduces students to the electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) Chemotion, an open-source tool funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) linked to the national NFDI4Chem initiative. Students plan, document, and evaluate experiments digitally, ensuring metadata and analysis are captured for long-term reuse. Chemotion’s intuitive interface and repository enable sustainable data sharing. To reinforce RDM, students receive a seminar and access to online training videos with interactive Moodle elements. Herein we highlight the use of the DALIA platform as a discovery tool for the students.