See the sections 'Storage of Research Data and Primary Research Materials' and 'Backup' in the Research Data Management Procedure
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 | |
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Are you working with large or very large datasets? * | ![]() |
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Is your dataset complete? | ![]() |
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Are you working with active data? ** | ![]() |
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Are you using sensitive or private data? *** | ![]() |
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Are you sharing your data with other FedUni researchers? | ![]() |
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Are you sharing your data with researchers external to FedUni? | ![]() |
* 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:
The use of third party cloud storage options are not recommended for the following reasons:
Use the dropdown for links to relevant Knowledge Base articles on using SharePoint
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:
Consideration should also be given to:
See Store & Manage for further information on Backing Up Data
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:
Permanent retention of research data may be affected by:
Not all data can be be shared. Some issues to be considered:
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.
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.