Sharing data after your project

Question: How will you share the data?

Considerations:

• How your data is shared and publicised - how will users find out about your data?
• How is the data is shared practically? (e.g. are there plans to share with research community through providing a URL during events or via email?)
• What conditions may apply to data sharing?
• At what time will the data be made available?

Example answer: 

Much of this data is suitable for sharing, though not all. Original video and audio recordings will not be shared. All text files (interview questions file, interview transcripts file, and interviewer protocol sheet) and spreadsheets (participant mapping file and statistical analysis file) will be shared. These will be made openly available via University of Salford's research data repository Figshare.

The findability of this research data on Figshare will be bolstered by:

• the abstract (which will contain many descriptors of the research data)
• the research category
• keywords (connecting this dataset with similar datasets across Figshare and other tools that connect metadata of several data repositories). 

The researchers will publicise this research data (alongside their Figshare profiles) via their University of Salford academic profile on Worktribe. 

When presenting data associated with this study at events (such as research seminars and conference talks), the research team will provide a URL to the Figshare data. This will be particularly useful when slides are shared by event organisers. 

Due to the research contract with our funder, we are required to restrict access to the research data for 1 year after completion of the funder research report. This data has commercial value for the funder, and releasing the data too early risks exploitation by their competitors and posing a threat to their business.   

To minimise these data sharing restrictions, research data will be prepared in advance of this deadline. The data will be uploaded and all associated metadata will be provided on Figshare. This will happen within 11 months of the completion of the funder research report. Then, this data will be scheduled within Figshare for upload exactly 12 months on the successful completion and send date of the report to the funder. 

This data must be made available with a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license due to the research contract with our funder. This means that any users is free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. However, under the following terms, users must:

• give appropriate credit to licensor
• NOT use the dataset for commercial purposes 
• NOT distribute modified material involving this dataset

Question: Are any restrictions on data sharing required?

Considerations: 

• What restrictions are there of data use and sharing and where these restrictions come from?
• What will you do to overcome or minimise data sharing restrictions?
• What length of time exclusive use of data is required, and the reasoning behind this?
• Is a data sharing agreement is required, and where applicable, what does this agreement state?

Example answer: 

Due to the research contract with our funder, we are required to restrict access to the research data for 1 year after completion of the funder research report. This data has commercial value for the funder, and releasing the data too early risks exploitation by their competitors and posing a threat to their business.   

To minimise these data sharing restrictions, research data will be prepared in advance of this deadline by uploading the data and providing all associated metadata on Figshare within 11 months of the completion of the funder research report. Then, this data will be scheduled within Figshare for upload exactly 12 months on the successful completion and send date of the report to the funder. 

Some of the data may not be of value to the funder, but may be of value to the research team. Where applicable, it is hoped to retain some of the data for commercial value, so the period of 1 year following the completion of the associated research papers is planned to explore this possibility fully. 

During this 12 month process, any data specifically described as having no commercial value to either the funder or research team will be made fully open via Figshare at the earliest opportunity (at least within 12 months of the completion of the final research report).

When working with the funder on the ongoing research project, data reports are submitted. A data sharing agreement has already been signed, and this agreement states that both teams will not present these reports to externals outside their organisations. It also states that all data will be considered example data, as the research team reserve the right to exclude datasets from analysis until the conclusion of the research study.