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Procedure: Research data management

Purpose

To outline the requirements and responsibilities for the management of research data and primary materials. The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 (the Code) and Management of Data and Information in Research - A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2019) is read in conjunction with this procedure.

Definitions

Primary Materials refer to physical or virtual objects acquired through a process of scholarly investigation from which research data may be derived including but not limited to photographs, sound recordings, questionnaire responses, and biological samples.

Research Data includes all data created and/or generated by researchers in the course of their research work, on which an argument, theory, test or hypothesis, or another research output is based, for which the University has a custodial responsibility under relevant agreements and the relevant archives/record keeping acts.

Researcher refers to all ANU staff, including academic, honorary and professional staff, and all HDR students.

Research Data Storage and Management

Research data will be managed by ANU unless owned by a third party through an external funding agreement. Where research activity is a collaboration between several institutions, the research team should determine in writing at the commencement of the research activity which institution has custody and responsibility for the storage and management of the research data.

Procedure

  1. A data management plan is put in place by researchers at the commencement of their research project, which operates in conjunction with the Procedure: Authorship. See: Research data management.
  2. Wherever possible, research data and primary materials are made available to interested parties for the purposes of further research. Research data that cannot be made openly accessible should be recorded as far as possible as research outputs. Refer to Procedure: Open Access Research.
  3. Where restrictions to access are required, research data are appropriately protected.
  4. Research data that is subject to ethics approval will be stored in accordance with the approved protocol. Clinical trials will be registered with a recognised register to promote access to information about all clinical trials.
  5. Where it is not practical to retain primary materials, durable records derived from these materials are retained and managed as research data.
  6. Retention of research data are kept in line with professional standards, legal requirements, ethical statements and guidelines, and contractual agreements. It is advisable that a written record of these is included as part of the research data management plan.
  7. Upon the determination of ownership of research data, a relevant licence is considered for the purpose of clarifying the status of the data for re-use by third parties. Refer to Policy: Intellectual Property.
  8. Agreements covering ownership, stewardship and control of data or information are reviewed whenever there is movement or departure of research staff. For example, where researchers move between institutions or employers and where research data are held outside of Australia.
  9. With respect to the ownership of data and information used in or generated by research involving First Nations Peoples and Communities, institutions or researchers may hold data or information; however, they do not make decisions about the access to or reuse of this data or information without proper consultation with its Indigenous owners, if any. For further information, consult the Ethical guidelines for research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
  10. Researchers determine if any minimum data retention periods apply, and apply them appropriately. See the ANU Library Research Data Management Guide for more information.
  11. Inappropriate use of, access to, or loss of data is managed in line with Procedure: Research misconduct and serious research misconduct. Where relevant, other reporting schemes (such as the Notifiable data breaches scheme) may be applicable.

Information

 Printable version (PDF)
Title Research data management
Document Type Procedure
Document Number ANUP_6749972
Version
Purpose To outline the requirements and responsibilities for the management of research data and primary materials. The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 (the Code) and Management of Data and Information in Research - A guide supporting the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2019) is read in conjunction with this procedure.
Audience Students, Students-Graduate-Research, Staff, Staff-Academic-Research
Category Academic
Topic/ SubTopic Research
 
Effective Date 22 Mar 2024
Next Review Date 22 Mar 2029
 
Responsible Officer: Chief, Research and Innovation services
Approved By: Academic Board
Contact Area Office of Research and Innovation Services
Authority: Copyright Act 1968
Privacy Act 1988
National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992
Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018 : NHMRC
Academic Integrity Rule 2021
Defence Trade Controls Act 2012 (Cth)
Delegations 0

Information generated and received by ANU staff in the course of conducting business on behalf of ANU is a record and should be captured by an authorised recordkeeping system. To learn more about University records and recordkeeping practice at ANU, see ANU recordkeeping and Policy: Records and archives management.