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Research Data Management Resources

Data management best practices, funder mandates, data sharing options, and local resources for research data management.

Data Policies

“The Administration is committed to ensuring that, to the greatest extent and with the fewest constraints possible…, the direct results of federally funded scientific research are made available to and useful for the public, industry, and the scientific community.” John Holdren, OSTP Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies (2013)
 
“Publicly funded research data are a public good, produced in the public interest, which should be made openly available with as few restrictions as possible in a timely and responsible manner that does not harm intellectual property.” RCUK Common Principles on Data Policy (2012)

Resources

Funder Data Policies

Data Policy Finder

Don't know if the journal where you want to publish has a data policy? Look in the information for authors or Ask a Librarian

Who Owns the Data?

An individual or institution owns data when they hold the legal rights to that data. The question of who owns data depends upon the conditions of its creation. The answer will differ if the data was created through the course of research or as a condition of employment or contract.

Typically, there are three parties involved in data ownership:

  1. Funding Agencies provide the resources to support the research and in doing so have rights to the data. Per the Bayh-Dole Act (1980), funding agencies generally allow institutions to own data produced in research. However, they commonly have stipulations or requirements regarding how data should be managed and disseminated. These requirements are often a condition for receiving an award. 
  2. Sponsoring Institutions are responsible for the receipt, management, and disbursement of federal, philanthropic, and private funding dollars. Typically, institutions are the owners of research data. In this role, they are ultimately responsible for ensuring that reserach is conducted ethically and that it is retained as required. 
  3. Principal Investigators conduct research and are granted stewardship over their research data by the Institution. PIs must ensure that the data is collected efficiently and ethically and that they are in compliance with institutional, local, and federal laws and regulations regarding the collection and managment of data. PIs may have some rights to the data. For example, a PI can arrange with the institution to take research data with them if they leave the institution. 

From Guidelines for Responsible Data Management in Scientific Research, page 6; NECDMC Module 5: Ethical and Legal Considerations for Research Data

UMass Chan Medical School Policies