The document discusses strategies for long-term research data storage, focusing on the importance of clear checklists to help researchers determine what data to retain and the necessary institutional support. It outlines the key steps in data management and selection processes, emphasizing the need for defining retention criteria, understanding data usage, and maintaining compliance with ethical and legal standards. Additionally, it highlights the challenges of data selection and management, advocating for a structured approach to ensure valuable data is preserved effectively.

1. Long-term storage – will it fill up with
the good stuff, or the big, bad, and ugly?
Can checklists make a difference?
Angus Whyte, DCC
‘Research Data Storage and Preservation Strategies’
University of Edinburgh 27 October 2014
a.whyte@ed.ac.uk

2. Long-term storage – will it fill up with the
good stuff, or just the big, bad, and ugly?
Will checklists encourage researchers to decide?

4. RDM Service Components
www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides/how-develop-rdm-services

5. RDM Service ‘Components’
www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/how-guides/how-develop-rdm-services

6. But more support needed!
Top 3 support needs for institutions *
1. Defining what to retain
2. Specifying tools/ infrastructure
3. Supporting metadata creation for
research data discovery
*March 2014 DCC 2014 RDM Survey of 61 institutions
Data available at: zenodo.org/collection/user-dcc-rdm-2014

7. Data Asset Surveys
Some institutions have estimated storage requirements from these
About your data and
its lifecycle…?
1.File type
2.Volumes
3.Density
4.Update frequence
5.Usage frequency
6.Availability req’d
7.Sensitivity
Active storage
Archival storage
Data Asset Framework Implementation guide
www.data-audit.eu/docs/DAF_Implementation_Guide.pdf

8. Data Asset Surveys
Some institutions have estimated storage requirements from these
About your data and
its lifecycle…?
1.File type
2.Volumes
3.Density
4.Update frequence
5.Usage frequency
6.Availability req’d
7.Sensitivity
Active storage
Archival storage
But if you provide it will researchers use it, at what cost?
Data Asset Framework Implementation guide
www.data-audit.eu/docs/DAF_Implementation_Guide.pdf

9. Practical checklists
key points in research cycle
Data Mgmt Plan
1. Collection
2. Documentation
3. Ethics & legal
4. Storage & backup
5. Selection& preserve
6. Data sharing
7. Responsibilities
Repository
selection
1. Policy & legal
2. Discoverable
3. Preservation
4. Reports
5. Trust
Archival storage Active storage
Data Selection
5 Steps to decide what
to keep
1. Could - benefit
2. Must - risks
3. Should - value
4. Cost factors
5. Weigh-up 1-4
Catalogue
Metadata
1. Name
2. Description
3. Identifier
4. Subject
5. URL
6. Date
7. Creator
8. Rights
9. Spatial
10.Publisher
Start
Write-up

10. Data selection checklist
Preview at: this Google doc

11. 11
Data selection checklist
Straightforward steps to guide researchers
①Could this data be re-used
②Must it be kept to manage compliance risk
③Should it be kept for its potential value and…
④Considering costs
⑤Will ✔or won’t ✗ it be kept, shared on what terms
Institution or
external
repository
Data Selection
5 Steps to decide what
to keep
1. Could - benefit
2. Must - risks
3. Should - value
4. Cost factors
5. Weigh-up 1-4
Repository
selection
1. Policy & legal
2. Discoverable
3. Preservation
4. Reports
5. Trust

12. 12
Step 1 (?) What ‘must’ be kept?
Research record includes data as evidence for e.g. …
• Audit purposes
• Health & Safety (Lab book)
• Contractual requirement
Compliance also about data that won’t be kept, or
may only be shared with approved researchers…
Research Ethics, Duty of Confidentiality, Data Protection Act, Human Rights Act, Statistics &
Registration Services Act. UK Data Archive:
http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/create-manage/consent-ethics/legal
Jisc Infonet Guidance on Managing Research Records
tools.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/downloads/bcs-rrs/managing-research-records.pdf

13. 13
Step 1 (?) What ‘must’ be kept?
Research record includes data as evidence for e.g. …
• Audit purposes
• Health & Safety (Lab book)
• Contractual requirement
Compliance also about data that won’t be kept, or
may only be shared with approved researchers…
Research Ethics, Duty of Confidentiality, Data Protection Act, Human Rights Act, Statistics &
Registration Services Act. UK Data Archive:
http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/create-manage/consent-ethics/legal
Available choices depend on what purposes the data serves
Jisc Infonet Guidance on Managing Research Records
tools.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/downloads/bcs-rrs/managing-research-records.pdf

14. 14
Step 1 (?) What ‘must’ be kept?
But what about funder & journal data policies?
“Data with acknowledged long-term value ”
RCUK Common Principles on Data Policy
“Data, information and other electronic resources of long-term interest”
ESRC UK Data Archive Collections Development Policy
“Where data underpins published research there is much greater
expectation that it will be kept”
Ben Ryan, EPSRC
“An inherent principle of publication is that others should be able to
replicate and build upon the authors' published claims. Nature

15. 15
Step 1 (?) What ‘must’ be kept?
But what about funder & journal data policies?
“Data with acknowledged long-term value ”
RCUK Common Principles on Data Policy
“Data, information and other electronic resources of long-term interest”
ESRC UK Data Archive Collections Development Policy
“Where data underpins published research there is much greater
expectation that it will be kept”
Ben Ryan, EPSRC
“An inherent principle of publication is that others should be able to
replicate and build upon the authors' published claims. Nature
Still researchers’ judgement- what purposes the data may serve

16. Still researchers’ judgement- what purposes the data may serve
16
Step 1 (?) What ‘must’ be kept?
But what about funder & journal data policies?
“Data with acknowledged long-term value ”
RCUK Common Principles on Data Policy
“Data, information and other electronic resources of long-term interest”
ESRC UK Data Archive Collections Development Policy
“Where data underpins published research there is much greater
expectation that it will be kept”
Ben Ryan, EPSRC
“An inherent principle of publication is that others should be able to
replicate and build upon the authors' published claims. Nature
So make thinking about that the first step

17. Step 2 1 What could it be reused for?
17
Any angles the researcher has not already considered?
1. Verification
2. Further analysis
3. Reputation building
4. Resource development
5. Further publications inc. data articles
6. Learning and teaching materials
7. Private reference

18. Step 2 1 What could it be reused for?
18
Any angles the researcher has not already considered?
1. Verification
2. Further analysis
3. Reputation building
4. Resource development
5. Further publications inc. data articles
6. Learning and teaching materials
7. Private reference
Then, relative to these, which data must be kept

19. Step 3 What data should have value
19
Any two of these fit?
1. Good quality data and description
complete, accurate, reliable, valid, representative etc
2. High demand
known users, integration potential, reputation, recommendation, appeal
3. High effort to replicate
difficult, costly, or impossible to reproduce
4. Low barriers to reuse
legal/ ethical, copyright non-restrictive terms and conditions
5. Rarity value
unique copy or other copies at risk
Then what else e.g. software does it depend on?

20. Step 4 Cost factors
20
Why?
• Costs incurred during project may add to value
• Post-project costs must be covered
1. Creation, collection & cleaning
2. Short-term storage & backup
3. Short-term access & security
4. Team communication & development
5. Preservation & long-term access
So what action needed to ensure on budget?

21. Step 5 Bring it all together
21
Balance risks, costs and value
Document the choices made
1. Name, contributors, description, sensitivity - metadata
2. Reuse purposes and value – the ‘reuse case’
3. Risk of non-compliance and costs shortfall
4. Justification to keep or dispose
5. Actions to prepare for preservation or disposal

22. But will this work
From research perspective will active selection mean bureacracy?
Data Mgmt Plan
1. Collection
2. Documentation
3. Ethics & legal
4. Storage & backup
5. Selection& preserve
6. Data sharing
7. Responsibilities
Repository
selection
1. Policy & legal
2. Discoverable
3. Preservation
4. Reports
5. Trust
Archival storage Active storage
Data Selection
5 Steps to decide what
to keep
1. Could - benefit
2. Must - risks
3. Should - value
4. Cost factors
5. Weigh-up 1-4
Catalogue
Metadata
1. Name
2. Description
3. Identifier
4. Subject
5. URL
6. Date
7. Creator
8. Rights
9. Spatial
10.Publisher

23. But will it work
Easier to avoid selecting the good and let someone else deal with de-allocation?
Data Mgmt Plan
- enough to
identify which
project this data
relates to
The ugly
“dont know
its value or
where else to
put it”
Archival storage Active storage
“The bad”
Can’t share as
nobody knows
its sensitivity
The “too
big for
anywhere
else”

24. Thank you