The Open Access publication of data can lead to increased social good, transparency and verification of research. Datasets can be reused for purposes very different to the original research and the combination of multiple existing datasets can provide an efficient starting point for research projects.
Image credit: The research data management cycle: Open Access Network
Research datasets can either be made openly available on Research Online, ECU's institutional repository or access can be mediated via email. For mediated datasets ECU library will require an email address that can be made publicly available online, to which all requests for access will be directed.
You can apply a Creative Commons licence to your data to stipulate how it can be reused.
Datasets can now be submitted by completing the online form.
If you would like further information about depositing your dataset into Research online please contact us at researchonline@ecu.edu.au
The Taylor and Francis sharing and citing data guide offers advice on understanding publisher policies and outlines some of the benefits to data sharing.
ECU's Data Management Guidelines
Dataset should be made available for reuse unless restricted from doing so by compliance obligations. Plans for dataset reuse will be made at the start of the project and will be recorded in the DMP.
Consider:
Funders and publishers may stipulate when and where your data should be published.
Whether the type of data you've generated is supported by the repository.
Whether you're able to add a licence to determine how your data can be accessed and reused.
Where will the data be indexed? Does the repository ensure your data will be easily found by search engines?
Whether the repository offers additional services such as download and view counts, persistent identifiers, alternative metrics?
PLOS Criteria for Recommended Data Repositories
Since 2015, the PLOS journals have maintained a list of repositories that we have determined to be suitable for authors depositing datasets that accompany PLOS articles. Selection of an appropriate repository allows researchers to maximize the visibility of their data while ensuring the data and related meta-data meet field-specific standards within their research community.
How to select a data repository?
Information about selecting a data repository
Research Data Repositories: The What, When, Why, and How
This article provides an overview of the current state of research data repositories.
The Nature list of recommended data repositories.
Data is considered sensitive if its release could cause potential harm, discrimination or unwanted attention to an individual, species, cultural knowledge or artifact. It is possible to share sensitive data while ensuring the research subjects are protected. Ideally data sharing is considered early in the research project. This enables the potential reuse of the data both by yourself and other researchers to be considered as part of the ethics approval process, participant agreements and data management plans. You may be able to share the data after identifying aspects have been removed. It also possible to share a description of the data and your contact details so researchers can request access, enabling you to stipulate specific reuse conditions and keep track of who is using the data.
Very comprehensive information on sharing data including issues like ethics, identification, medical and indigenous data.
Anonymising and sharing individual patient data
There is a strong movement to share individual patient data for secondary purposes, particularly for research. A major obstacle to broad data sharing has been the concern for patient privacy. One of the methods for protecting the privacy of patients in accordance with privacy laws and regulations is to anonymise the data before it is shared. This article describes the key concepts and principles for anonymising health data while ensuring it remains suitable for meaningful analysis.
A guide on anonymising data, questions to consider to minimise the risk of real world consequences, and a guide on what data to de-identify.
The big data security challenge
There is a fine line between the legitimate use of big data and customer privacy. And before any big data projects begin, organisations should have the right mechanisms in place to protect that data from the outset.
From the UK Data Archive, this guide serves as a handbook of considerations for data sharing. Including a section on anonymising data.
From the Office of the National Data Commissioner, thIs document has been developed is around the idea of a privacy-by-design approach.
Provides an opportunity for anyone interested to discuss the challenges and strategies for managing this type of data. The Sensitive Data CoP meets for an hour on the second Wednesday of every month. Rotating through a schedule of topics that cover disciplines that work with sensitive data, ethics and governance, technology, and longer how-to or best practice sessions.
is guidance document explores ethical considerations in the use of geospatial data for research, analysis and statistics. An ethics checklist is also provided for researchers and analysts using geospatial data, which summarises the main points covered in this guidance.
Choose the best copyright license to meet the requirements of sharing your data, maximise the ability of reuse for innovation whilst meeting legal, ethical and grant requirements.
More information is available about choosing the best Creative Commons (CC) licence for your data
