What to Keep/Delete: How to Appraise your Data Gareth Cole.
Data Curation Officer, University Library.
Slide 2
Todays Session Why cant you keep everything? Institutional,
legal and funder requirements Data reuse Validation of results
Replication of data Costs Is it even possible? Disposal/deletion of
research data Data sharing
Slide 3
Introductions Who are we? Who are you and why are you here
today?
Slide 4
Why Cant you Keep Everything? Storage space both digital and
physical Cost Outdated copies/back ups Makes version control harder
Harder to fulfil requests for information/data
Slide 5
Discussion One When do you delete data? In groups discuss when
you have decided to delete data. Think about: Why you deleted the
data? Why you kept the data you did? Do you delete any data? If
not, why not? Feedback to group
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What Should you Keep? It depends... Funder requirements Legal
requirements Institutional requirements Research group requirements
Discussion with supervisor/s Needed for future research
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RCUK RCUK Common Principles on Data Policy Data with
acknowledged long-term value should be preserved and remain
accessible and usable for future research. RCUK Policy on Open
Access All papers must include details of the funding that
supported the research and, if applicable, a statement on how the
underlying research materials such as data, samples or models can
be accessed.
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Funders Requirements (RCUK 1) EPSRC: Research organisations
must ensure that data is securely preserved for a minimum of 10
years from the end of any researcher privileged access or, if
others have accessed the data, from last date on which access to
the data was requested by a third party. ESRC: ESRC award holders
are expected to make use of existing standards for data management
and to make data available for further re-use. The ESRC data
service providers are responsible for ensuring long-term access to
the data. AHRC:AHRC The AHRC requires that significant electronic
resources or datasets are made available in an accessible
depository for at least three years after the end of the grant.
STFC: Data resulting from publicly funded research should be made
publicly available after a limited period, unless there are
specific reasons.
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Funders Requirements (RCUK 2) BBSRC: BBSRC expects research
data generated as a result of BBSRC support to be made available
with as few restrictions as possible in a timely and responsible
manner to the scientific community for subsequent research. MRC:
The MRC expects valuable data arising from MRC-funded research to
be made available to the scientific community with as few
restrictions as possible so as to maximize the value of the data
for research and for eventual patient and public benefit. NERC:
NERC considers that long-term, open access to the data that
underpin research publications will help to ensure the integrity,
transparency and robustness of the research record. Access to these
data supports the fundamental scientific requirement of allowing
others to confirm or challenge research results. The environmental
data produced by the activities funded by NERC are considered a
public good and they will be made openly available for others to
use. NERC is committed to supporting long-term environmental data
management to enable continuing access to these data.
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Other Funders Requirements Wellcome Trust: ensure that key data
resources are developed and maintained for use by the research
community recognise the contributions of researchers who generate,
preserve and share key research datasets
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Data Protection Act Personal data: Relate to living individual
Individual can be identified from those data or from those data and
other information Fair processing: Not kept longer than necessary
In accordance with the rights of data subjects, e.g. Right to be
informed about how data will be used, stored, processed,
transferred, destroyed, right to access the information and data
held Security Protected against unauthorised access, data loss,
damage to data Not transferred abroad without adequate protection
Only disclosed if consent has been given to do so (except legal
duty)
Slide 12
Freedom of Information Act Any information held by the
University can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act
(including research data). There are exemptions that mean certain
types of information do not have to be released. E.g. If data is
intended for future publication, if there are commercial
considerations, if covered by DPA.
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Institutional Requirements 1 Code of Good Practice in the
Conduct of Research 2.7 : Documenting Results and Storing Primary
Data Researchers should keep clear and accurate records of the
procedures followed and the approvals granted during the research
process, including records of the interim results obtained as well
as of the final research outcomes. This is necessary not only as a
means of demonstrating proper research practice, but also in case
questions are subsequently asked about either the conduct of the
research or the results obtained. Primary data generated in the
course of research must be kept securely in paper or electronic
format, as appropriate and held normally for a period of five years
(or as required by the funding body) after the completion of a
research project. 10/04/2013: Cardiff research misconduct case (THE
article)Cardiff research misconduct case Professor Morgan should
have taken more resolute steps to ensure Dr Donev left his source
material with the department for safe-keeping, as is understood to
be the normal practice
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Institutional Requirements 2 PGRs should deposit data that
supports their thesis in ORE (Open Research Exeter)ORE (Open
Research Exeter) Open Access Research and Research Data Management
Policy for PGR Students:Open Access Research and Research Data
Management Policy for PGR Students: All PGR students digital
research data that has been selected for retention should be
deposited in ORE or an appropriate national or international data
service or domain repository. Valid reasons for non-deposit of data
include potential commercial issues, the inclusion of confidential
personal data or data that is politically or otherwise sensitive.
Students should discuss exemptions with their Supervisor. PGR
students research data that has been selected for retention should
be registered with ORE, even if the data is retained in a national
or international data service or domain repository or if the data
is not suitable for publishing on open access.
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How to Appraise your Data Selecting data: what to keep, what to
delete? Issues to consider: Is the dataset unique? Can the data be
reused? Can the data be easily replicated? Has the data been
effectively documented? Does the data underpin your
publications/thesis?
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Who Appraises the Data? It depends: If on a group project then
the PI in consultation with the group If a single researcher then
yourself in consultation with your supervisor/s If on contract work
then in line with the contract/business The lead PGR Supervisor and
the PGR student should discuss and review research data management
annually. Please see the draft checklist for more information.draft
checklist for more information Responsibility for ongoing,
day-to-day management of their research data lies with PGR
students. Where the PGR is part of a project, data management
policy will be set and monitored by the Principal Investigator (PI)
and the PGR will be expected to comply with project guidelines. The
lead PGR Supervisor is responsible for advising the PGR student on
good practice in research data management.
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Discussion Two What data will you keep after your PhD? In
groups consider: Have you thought about this subject at all? What
criteria will you use to keep your data? Where will you keep your
data? Use the guidance document to think about some of the
issues.
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Disposing of Research Data Once you have selected your data for
retention make sure everything else is disposed of securely Use
confidential waste bins where appropriate for hard copy material
(surveys, questionnaires etc.) Shred physical materials Paper,
credit/debit cards, CDs and DVDs Dont just delete files on a
computer Delete them with proper software (see next slide)
Slide 19
Data Destruction When you delete data and documentation from a
hard drive, it is probably not gone: Files need to be overwritten
to ensure they are irretrievably deleted: BCWipe - uses
military-grade procedures to surgically remove all traces of any
fileBCWipe If in doubt, physically destroy the drive using an
approved secure destruction facility Physically destroy portable
media, as you would shred paper UKDA webpage on data
destruction
Slide 20
Further Information Internal: Open Access enquiries:
[email protected]@exeter.ac.uk Research Data
Management website University policy on Open Access and Research
Data Management for PGR studentsUniversity policy on Open Access
and Research Data Management for PGR students Selecting data: what
to keep, what to delete? checklist (PDF, 122KB)Selecting data: what
to keep, what to delete? Data Protection advice Freedom of
Information advice Information Security
[email protected]@exeter.ac.uk
External: Digital Curation centre guide: How to Appraise and Select
Research Data for CurationHow to Appraise and Select Research Data
for Curation
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Data Sharing
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Two stages of your project when you may share data Live sharing
during the project Making your completed data available at the end
of your project
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Why Should you Share your Data Benefits Live data Increased
collaboration opportunities with colleagues Increased exposure of
your current work Increased efficiency across research group
Benefits Completed data Increased citation counts Increased
exposure for your work Increased chance of collaboration in the
future Allows others to build on your research Policy RCUK Common
Principles on Data Policy University Policy
Slide 24
Sharing your Data During your Research With your supervisor;
with project colleagues; with external interested parties Cloud
Storage Dropbox, Googledrive, OneDrive etc. Not recommended for
sensitive or personal dataDropboxGoogledriveOneDrive Email issues
with large data and/or sensitive data. Potential version control
problems USB sticks easily lost. Can transfer viruses External hard
drives less suitable if collaborator is at a different institution
Websites lack of permanency. Need internet connection. May not have
access rights to the site FTP Not secure. Data can be intercepted
Hard copy documents one of a kind
Slide 25
Sharing your Data At the end of your research Archive
Repositories Discipline specific archive Archaeology Data Service
NERC Data Centres Wellcome Trust list of Data Repositories
(Inter)national archive UKDS University repositoryUniversity
repository Link your data with your thesis/research papers Websites
Link from your University personal webspace to data in a repository
Link from academic network sites Academia.edu,
ResearchGate.netAcademia.eduResearchGate.net
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Issues in Data Sharing Ethical and Data Protection Act
Copyright and legal issues File size Metadata Discoverability of
the data Re-use of data Documentation of data File format open or
proprietary What to share Quality control and versioning
Slide 27
Further Information External: UKDA guidance on Planning for
Sharing DCC table showing if your funder provides a data centre
NIHR Research Governance Framework For Health and Social Care Data
relevant to findings should also be accessible. (p. 14)Research
Governance Framework For Health and Social Care Internal:
University web pages Exeter Universitys Institutional Repository
(ORE) PhD students experience of copyright issues