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Research Data Management

See the sections 'Storage of Research Data and Primary Research Materials' and 'Backup' in the Research Data Management Procedure

Data storage

At Federation University it is recommended that researchers use the University's provided options of Microsoft OneDrive or SharePoint for storage of digital data.

  FedUni OneDrive FedUni SharePoint Federation.figshare Customised solution
Are you working with large or very large datasets? *       green tick
Is your dataset complete?     green tick  
Are you working with active data? ** green tick green tick    
Are you using sensitive or private data? ***   green tick    
Are you sharing your data with other FedUni researchers? green tick green tick    
Are you sharing your data with researchers external to FedUni?   green tick    

* Dataset size (guide only): ‘small’, up to 30GB; ‘medium’, between 30GB and 100GB; ‘large’, greater than 100GB up to 500GB; and, ‘very large’, greater than 500GB.

** For the purposes of this document, active or working data are defined as data that require ongoing access for modification, analysis, compilation, etc. Archival storage solutions are more appropriate for ‘end state’ data.

*** The use of sensitive data includes any personal, licenced, proprietary and commercially-produced data. For “sensitive” data classifications, refer to the following legislative definitions: Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic), Privacy Act 1988

See the 'FedUni Digital Research Data Storage Options Chart' for full list of benefits and limitations to the named data storage options in the table.

The use of computer or laptop hard disk drives, portable hard drives and USB drives pose risks, particularly if one of those options are the storage option for the data.

Risks include:

  • Loss of laptop, portable hard disk drive or USB drive
  • Corrupted hard disk drive or portable drive
  • Hardware failure

The use of third party cloud storage options are not recommended for the following reasons:

  • No institutional support for loss of data through deletion or overwriting
  • Data may be stored on servers  that are situated outside of Australia's borders which may violate data sovereignty laws or funder project requirements.

Use the dropdown for links to relevant Knowledge Base articles on using SharePoint

Data security

 

UGent Open Science. Knowledge Clip: Data Security (5:58)

Any data, but particularly data that is sensitive, must have considerations about who has access and the type of access granted. If collaborating with a team, decisions must be made about who has access and the type of access to the data.

Access to the data could be:

  • Full access to all folders and files to read and write
  • Partial access to specific folders or files to read only, or read and write
  • Read only access

Consideration should also be given to:

  • Protocols around collaborators entering and exiting the project. Who has administrator access to grant, change or remove permissions?
  • How many people have administrator access, and what happens when one or all of those people are unavailable for an extended period?

See Store & Manage for further information on Backing Up Data

Long term storage considerations

Federation researchers need to consider some, if not all, of the policies and codes below:

Retaining your research data

Data should be considered for permanent retention if the research:

  • Is controversial
  • Is of wide public interest
  • Uses an innovative technique for the first time
  • Shifts the paradigm in the field of inquiry
  • Would be costly or impossible to reproduce
  • Will be of enduring value to researchers in the discipline
  • Will be of enduring value to researchers in other disciplines
  • Supports  a patent application or other formal IP process

Permanent retention of research data may be affected by:

  • Legal issues around IP or copyright ownership
  • Ethical requirement for destruction of data
  • Legal or ethical requirements for restricted access to data
  • Technical issues such as obsolete formats

Source: Research Data Management at Deakin University

Intellectual property considerations

Not all data can be be shared. Some issues to be considered:

 

Copyright

For information and advice regarding copyright, see the Copyright & Licencing or contact Federation University Copyright Office.

Ownership/Intellectual Property

Ownership and management of intellectual property at Federation University Australia is governed by:

This includes data created by staff and students, and governs rights to those data for staff or students transferring between institutions.

 

Privacy laws

All confidentiality agreements between the researcher and participants must be respected. It is advisable for researchers to include information about data storage and data access to participants during the consent process.

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