Spooky Data Comic: Error Screens | Data Nudge Newsletter Archive | Research Data Service

Every Halloween, we bring you a scary story about what can happen if you don’t keep your data safe.

In this year’s edition, we take 3 ordinary error screens and reimagine them as dire warnings of data gone dark. In addition to file loss and technical failures, there are lots of other errors that can make your data disappear.

Single pane comic with a header that says, "You've seen error screens when you can't access the internet, but what about when you can't access your data." Hand drawn version of a black error screen with a white, pixelated T-Rex and text that says, "No access to the only software that can open this data file. Try: Finishing your research without it, or going back in time and saving it in an open format like csv, tsv, txt, or tiff. Error_Data_Inaccessible."

Single pane comic with a header that says, "You've seen file not found errors, but what about funding not found." Hand drawn light blue error screen with a sketch of a broken robot and text that says, "Grant-supported database. 404 Error. Funding not found. The requested database ran out of funding and shut down. That's all we know."

Single pane comic with a header that says, "You've played The Oregon Trail, but what about The ReadMe-Is-Gone Trail." Hand drawn dark error screen with an old-fashioned bright green graphic of mountains, a trail, and an ox pulling a covered wagon, and text that says, "Your data has died." A list underneath says, "ReadMe file- gone, variables- undefined, color codes- mysterious, notes- obscure, units- missing."

Keep Your Data Safe from These Horrors

Keep up-to-date data documentation like a ReadMe file or codebook that explains variables, codes, abbreviations, and units of measurement.
Use a widely accessible file format like csv, tsv, txt, or tiff to preserve data long-term.
Download a copy of important data you access online.

All Data Nudges are licensed under CC BY 4.0. You are free to share, adopt, or adapt them and cite the Illinois Research Data Service.