Monitoring Form
A standard operational form for recording and consolidating information about the activities of the NASU FAIR Data Competence Center.
The Monitoring Form supports regular collection of information about consultations, training, data curation, methodological resources, cooperation and other activities of the Center.
The collected information provides the evidence base for activity indicators, internal monitoring and preparation of the annual report.
Document information
Key information about the purpose and use of the Monitoring Form.
Document type
Operational monitoring form
Purpose
Consistent recording and consolidation of the Center’s activities
Frequency
Regular recording with periodic and annual consolidation
Available formats
PDF for reference
Editable format for completion
About the Monitoring Form
The Monitoring Form is the operational instrument used to collect information required for monitoring the activities of the NASU FAIR Data Competence Center.
It provides a consistent structure for documenting completed activities, their dates, participants, institutional affiliation, type of support, outputs and other information required by the Activity Indicators.
Regular use of the form reduces the need to reconstruct information retrospectively at the end of the reporting period and provides traceable evidence for annual reporting.
The form should be used together with the Activity Indicators, which define what is monitored, and the Annual Report Template, which consolidates the monitoring results.
Operational form
Current published version
Monitoring Form of the NASU FAIR Data Competence Center.
Version: [version number]
Updated: [date]
Language: [language]
Format: [XLSX / DOCX / PDF]
What the form records
Monitoring information is organised according to the main areas of activity of the Competence Center.
Consultations and support
Records consultations and support provided to individual researchers, research groups, institutions and research infrastructure units.
Information may include the topic, type of request, institution, date and result of the consultation.
Training activities
Records webinars, workshops, courses and other educational activities organised or supported by the Center.
Relevant information may include dates, topics, participants, institutions and training materials.
Data curation and publication
Records support for metadata preparation, FAIR data packages, repository deposit and publication of research datasets.
Completed curation cases and resulting research data outputs may also be documented.
Resources and outputs
Records the preparation or updating of guidelines, templates, checklists, metadata profiles and other practical resources.
Cooperation and coordination
Records cooperation with research institutions, repositories, data experts, projects and national or international research data infrastructures.
Development and other activities
Records service development, organisational activities and other work relevant to implementation of the Center’s mandate and annual priorities.
How to use the form
Monitoring should be integrated into routine work rather than completed retrospectively only at the end of the year.
1. Record
Enter activity
Record the activity soon after it has been completed.
2. Verify
Check information
Verify that the entry is complete and supported by appropriate records.
3. Consolidate
Aggregate results
Consolidate entries according to the relevant Activity Indicators.
4. Report
Prepare annual report
Use consolidated monitoring information to prepare the annual report.
Recording principles
Monitoring records should be concise, consistent and based on verifiable activities. Information should be entered using the definitions and categories specified in the Activity Indicators.
The same activity should not be counted repeatedly unless it represents distinct services or outputs according to the indicator methodology.
Personal or confidential information should not be included unless it is necessary for institutional monitoring and its processing is permitted by applicable requirements.
The purpose of monitoring is to provide reliable evidence for evaluating and improving the Center’s activities while keeping the reporting burden proportionate.
Monitoring and reporting workflow
Three documents form a connected monitoring and reporting framework.
1. What to monitor
Activity Indicators
Define the activities, outputs and results that should be monitored.
2. How to record
Monitoring Form
Provides a common structure for recording monitoring information.
3. How to report
Annual Report Template
Consolidates monitoring information into the annual overview of activities and results.
Document access and version control
The Monitoring Form should be made available in an editable format suitable for routine completion. A PDF version may also be published as a reference copy.
Each version should indicate its version number, date of publication or approval and the body responsible for maintaining the form.
Changes to field definitions or monitoring categories should be coordinated with corresponding changes to the Activity Indicators and Annual Report Template.
Users should verify that they are using the current version before entering information for a new reporting period.