This document summarizes research data management policies from several universities. It discusses the purpose statements, tones, roles and responsibilities outlined in the policies of universities in the UK, Australia, and US. The University of Edinburgh policy takes a partnership approach, sharing responsibilities between the university and researchers. It aims to support research excellence through managing data to high standards across the research lifecycle.

1. JISC Managing Research Data & DCC Policy Workshop
Leeds, 12 March,2011
Robin Rice, R.Rice@ed.ac.uk
Data Librarian, University of Edinburgh
RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT:
APPROACHES TO INSTITUTIONAL
POLICY

2. Policy content snapshot: Wordle

3. 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.”

4. 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.”

5. 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.”

6. 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.”

7. 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.”

8. 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?

10. Edinburgh policy worldle

11. 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, universit
y?
 Are students considered in the policy?

12. Edinburgh: Shared Responsibilities
University Researcher / research unit
 Research data will be  Responsibility for research data
managed to the highest management through a sound
research data management plan
standards throughout the during any research project or
research data lifecycle as part programme lies primarily with
of the University’s Principal Investigators (PIs).
commitment to research  All new research proposals must
excellence. include research data management
plans or protocols that explicitly
 The University will provide address data
training, support, advice and capture, management, integrity, co
where appropriate guidelines nfidentiality, retention, sharing and
publication.
and templates for the
research data management  Any data which is retained
elsewhere, for example in an
and research data international data service or
management plans. domain repository should be
registered with the University.

13. Edinburgh: Shared Responsibilities
University Researcher / research unit
 The University will provide  Research data management plans
mechanisms and services for must ensure that research data are
storage, backup, registration, de available for access and re-use where
posit and retention of research appropriate and under appropriate
data assets in support of current safeguards.
and future access, during and
after completion of research  The legitimate interests of the
projects. subjects of research data must be
 Research data of future protected.
historical interest, and all  Exclusive rights to reuse or publish
research data that represent research data should not be handed
records of the over to commercial publishers or
University, including data that
substantiate research agents without retaining the rights to
findings, will be offered and make the data openly available for re-
assessed for deposit and use, unless this is a condition of
retention in an appropriate funding.
national or international data
service or domain repository, or
a University repository.

14. Seeking win + win + win + win + win……
Where do I safely keep my How do we ensure we have How can our
data from my fieldwork, as access to our research data research
I travel home? after some of the team collaborations share
have left? data, and make them
available once
complete?
How can I best keep
years worth of research
data secure and How do we ensure
accessible for when I and compliance to funders’
others need to re-use it? requirement for several
years of open access to
data?
PhD individual research supra-
university
student researcher team university
LEVEL
Jeff Haywood, Research Integrity, London - Sept 2011 14