Researchers should take into account the following widely-accepted guidelines, where applicable, in their handling of research data:
Good research data management involves consideration of both short-term storage and long-term preservation. The process of creating a data management plan (DMP) should prompt researchers to determine their criteria and needs regarding short-term storage during the course of a research project. Research institutions and funding agencies may require that researchers deposit their data in an appropriate repository once a research project is completed. Repositories can help increase the visibility and accessibility of research data while safeguarding its security and longevity.
A data repository is a storage infrastructure for researchers to deposit the data associated with their research, usually for the purpose of sustainable long-term preservation. There are three main types of data repositories: disciplinary, institutional, and generalist. Repositories have differing policies regarding who is eligible to deposit data, how much storage space is available, the types of data accommodated, and retention periods. Some repositories are curated to ensure that data conforms to specific criteria before being published. A persistent identifier such as a DOI is usually provided to facilitate discovery and citation, and repositories may apply a default license to deposited datasets or prompt researchers to assign a license of their choosing to support sharing and re-use of data. For data that needs to have restricted access for ethical or legal reasons, some repositories have mechanisms for holding the data securely without making it openly available.
Researchers at Ambrose are encouraged to deposit their data in the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR) which is is a general-purpose repository for sharing and preserving Canadian research data. FRDR is supported by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada and is consistent with FAIR principles. Freely available to any faculty member or researcher affiliated with a Canadian post-secondary institution, this platform has detailed instructions and video tutorials to help with setting up an account and depositing data, and a data curation team works with researchers to ensure that their datasets and metadata are formatted appropriately for publication.