“Research data are data that are used as primary sources to support technical or scientific enquiry, research, scholarship, or creative practice, and that are used as evidence in the research process and/or are commonly accepted in the research community as necessary to validate research findings and results. Research data may be experimental data, observational data, operational data, third party data, public sector data, monitoring data, processed data, or repurposed data. What is considered relevant research data is often highly contextual, and determining what counts as such should be guided by disciplinary norms.”– Frequently Asked Questions Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy
The Tri-Agencies launched a Data Management Policy in March 2021 that all post-secondary institutions and those seeking SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR grants need to follow. The policy has three stages - we are currently in stage 2:
"The agencies believe that research data collected through the use of public funds should be responsibly and securely managed and be, where ethical, legal and commercial obligations allow, available for reuse by others. To this end, the agencies support the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) guiding principles for research data management and stewardship." (Data Management Policy)
Researchers and artists can publish their data for others to reuse. Research data repositories and government agencies are sources of published data (e.g., Federated Research Data Repository, Borealis, Statistics Canada). Academic journals may host published data as supplementary material connected to their articles. If you need help finding resources for published data, contact the ECU library or reach out to the Portage DMP Coordinator at support@portagenetwork.ca.
Researchers can find data through data repositories, word-of-mouth, project websites, academic journals, etc. You can also cite your deposited data the same way you would cite a publication, by including a link in the citation.
Sharing your data through a data repository is recommended because it enhances the discoverability of your data in the research community. Look for a discipline specific repository that offers capabilities such as open and restricted access, built-in data citations, file versioning, customized terms of use, and assignment of a digital object identifier (DOI) to datasets. A DOI is a unique, persistent identifier that provides a stable link to your data. You can check out re3data.org, a directory of data repositories that includes arts-specific ones.
The best ways to let artists and the public know about your data may not mirror those of researchers. Social media, artistic organizations, and community partners may be options.
The ECU Library can mint DOIs. Contact Hillary Webb to discuss this option. For help locating another repository that meets your needs, contact the ECU library.
Look for a repository that has a preservation mandate.
Data repositories labelled as “trusted” or “trustworthy” indicate they have met high standards for receiving, storing, accessing, and preserving data through an external certification process. Two certifications are Trustworthy Digital Repository and CoreTrustSeal.
A repository that lacks certification may still be a valid preservation option. Many established repositories in Canada have not gone through a certification process yet. For repositories without certification, you can evaluate their quality by comparing their policies to the standards of a certification. Read more on choosing a repository at OpenAIRE.
Your shared data can be in different forms:
Raw data are the original, unaltered data obtained directly from data collection methods (e.g., image files from cameras, audio files from digital recorders). In the context of your project, published data you reuse count as raw data.
Processed data are raw data that have been modified to, for example, prepare for analysis (e.g., removing video that will not be analyzed) or de-identify participants (e.g., blurring faces, cropping, changing voices).
Analyzed data are the results of arts-based, qualitative, or quantitative analyses of processed data, and include artworks, codebooks, themes, texts, diagrams, graphs, charts, and statistical tables.
Final data are copies of raw, processed, or analyzed data you are no longer working with. These copies may have been migrated or transformed from their original file formats into preservation-friendly formats.
DCC has a guide called Five Steps to Decide What Data to Keep that may be helpful when making decisions.
When sharing data, the key principle is to be as open as possible, as closed as necessary.
The Tri-Agencies note that they “expect researchers to provide appropriate access to the data where ethical, cultural, legal and commercial requirements allow, and in accordance with the FAIR principles and the standards of their disciplines.”
A requirement to share data does not equate to "open" access to data in every case. Some data may have restricted access due to confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property, and other legal or ethical considerations and requirements. Remember to inform participants of any restrictions you will implement to protect their privacy and to state them on your consent form. Read more on restricted access at University of York.
See additional information on the Ethics + Legal Compliance page about participant confidentiality and data disclosure risk levels.
Licenses set out how others can use your data. Funding agencies and/or data repositories may have end-user license requirements in place; if not, they may be able to guide you in developing a license. Only the intellectual property rights holder(s) of the data you want to share can issue a license, so it is crucial to clarify who holds those rights. Make sure the terms of use of your end-user license fulfill any legal and ethical obligations you have (e.g., consent forms, copyright, data sharing agreements, etc.).
Several types of standard licenses are available to researchers, such as Creative Commons licenses and Open Data Commons licenses. In most circumstances, it is easier to use a standard license rather than a custom-made one. If you make your data part of the public domain, you should make this explicit by using a license, such as Creative Commons CC0. Read more on data licenses at Digital Curation Centre.
Preservation means storing data in ways that make them accessible and reuseable to you and others long after your project ends. Many factors inform preservation, including policies of funding agencies and academic publishers, an understanding of the enduring value of a dataset, and ethical frameworks informing a project (e.g., making artwork co-created with community members accessible to their community). Also consider what access your research participants may need or want to the data created through your project and how they will access it.
Creating a “living will” for your data can help you decide what your preservation needs are in relation to these or other factors. It is a plan describing how future researchers, artists, and others will be able to access and reuse your data. If applicable, consider the needs of participants and collaborators who will co-create and/or co-own artwork and other data. Your “living will” can address where you will store your data, how they will be accessed, how long they will be accessible for, and how much digital storage space you will need.
Sometimes non-digital data cannot be digitized or practical limitations (e.g., cost) prevent them from being digitized. If you want others to access and reuse your non-digital data, consider where they will be stored, how they will be accessed, and how long they will be accessible for. Sometimes, you can deposit your data in an archive, which will take responsibility for preservation and access. If non-archivists (e.g., you, a partner community centre) take responsibility for preservation, describe how your non-digital data will be protected from physical deterioration over time. Make sure to incorporate non-digital data into the “living will” for your data. You can contact the ECU archives to help develop a preservation strategy for non-digital data (archives@ecuad.ca). Read more on preserving non-digital data at Radboud University.
Certain data may not have long-term value, may be too sensitive for preservation, or must be destroyed due to data agreements. Deleting files from your computer is not a secure method of data disposal. Contact your IT services, research ethics office, and/or privacy office to find out how you can securely destroy your data. Read more on secure data disposal at UK Data Service.
Software is available to help erase files from hard disks, meeting recognized erasure standards. Example software is: BCWipe, WipeFile, DeleteOnClick and Eraser for Windows platforms; and Permanent Eraser for MacOS platforms.
A risk-averse approach for all drives is to encrypt devices before first use when installing operating software and to physically destroy the drive using a secure destruction facility.
ECU provides bins for secure paper shredding through Iron Mountain in various locations on campus (for example, in the library). There is an Iron Mountain bin for destruction of CDs and other discs in the ECU Mailroom.
library@ecuad.ca 
604-844-3840 520 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver, BC