RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT: APPROACHES TO INSTITUTIONAL POLICY

JISC Managing Research Data & DCC Policy WorkshopLeeds, 12 March,2011Robin Rice, R.Rice@ed.ac.ukData Librarian, University of Edinburgh

Policy content snapshot: Wordle

Purpose: explicit? implicit? University of Edinburgh: No explicit

purpose statement in the policy itself, which is a one page statement of principles meant to be highly accessible, with a ‘background’ paper for those who wish to read more. (Also RDM guidance online, though written pre-policy.)

Implicit, from University mission statement: “The mission of our University is the creation, dissemination and curation of knowledge.”

Purpose: Australian policies University of Melbourne: “The purpose of

this Policy is to assist departments and individual researchers to fulfill their responsibilities with respect to the storage and retention of data and records associated with, and arising from, their research activities.”

“Monash University recognises significant value in the data generated by its large investment in research.”

Purpose: American policies Johns Hopkins Univeristy: “The purpose of this

policy is to protect researchers and the university.”

University of Tennesee: “This policy protects the faculty’s and University's property rights by addressing definition, responsibility, control, and distribution of Research Data produced during activities supported by the University.” And:

“This policy supports the academic freedom for free and broad dissemination of Research Data, consistent with University policy and needs.”

Purpose: other UK policies “The University of Oxford is

committed to supporting researchers in appropriate curation and preservation of their research data, and where applicable in accordance with the research funders' requirements.”

“The University of Northampton recognises that good research is underpinned by good research data management.”

UK cont’d

University of Hertfordshire: “The University operates in an increasingly complex, data-oriented, environment which requires the effective collection, management, analysis and dissemination of data. The data generated and held by the University are key assets that must be managed correctly to underpin University strategic development, essential functions and academic integrity.”

Tone: carrot, stick or mushy porridge?

Compliance approach or partnership approach?

Records management or research support?

Mandatory or aspirational? “must”, “may”

Policy, Strategy, Guidelines, Roadmap?

Edinburgh policy worldle

Roles, Rights, Responsibilities

Who will support your researcher's planning?

Who has responsibility during the research project? Who has archival responsibility?

Who has rights in the data ? (What about collaborative research, what about subjects of research?)

What responsibilities fall to the individual researcher, PI, department, college, university?

Are students considered in the policy?

Edinburgh: Shared ResponsibilitiesUniversity

Researcher / research unit

Research data will be managed to the highest standards throughout the research data lifecycle as part of the University’s commitment to research excellence.

The University will provide training, support, advice and where appropriate guidelines and templates for the research data management and research data management plans.

Responsibility for research data management through a sound research data management plan during any research project or programme lies primarily with Principal Investigators (PIs).

All new research proposals must include research data management plans or protocols that explicitly address data capture, management, integrity, confidentiality, retention, sharing and publication.

Any data which is retained elsewhere, for example in an international data service or domain repository should be registered with the University.

Edinburgh: Shared ResponsibilitiesUniversity

Researcher / research unit

The University will provide mechanisms and services for storage, backup, registration, deposit and retention of research data assets in support of current and future access, during and after completion of research projects.

Research data of future historical interest, and all research data that represent records of the University, including data that substantiate research findings, will be offered and assessed for deposit and retention in an appropriate national or international data service or domain repository, or a University repository.

Research data management plans must ensure that research data are available for access and re-use where appropriate and under appropriate safeguards.

The legitimate interests of the subjects of research data must be protected.

Exclusive rights to reuse or publish research data should not be handed over to commercial publishers or agents without retaining the rights to make the data openly available for re-use, unless this is a condition of funding.

Jeff Haywood, Research Integrity, London - Sept 2011 14

LEVEL

PhD student universit

y

research team

individual researcher

supra-university

Where do I safely keep my data from my fieldwork, as I

travel home?

How can I best keep years worth of research data

secure and accessible for when I and others need to

re-use it?

How do we ensure compliance to

funders’ requirement for several years of

open access to data?

How do we ensure we have access to our research data after some of the team

have left?

How can our research

collaborations share data, and

make them available once

complete?

Seeking win + win + win + win + win……