Open Data Policy

Positioning statement

York St John University (YSJU) supports the principle of Open Access (OA) for both research data and research outputs, recognising the benefits to the public and wider academic community. This policy aims to ensure that YSJU open research data applies the principles set out in the Concordat on Open Research Data, the UKRI Common Principles on Data Policy and, where possible, the FAIR data principles.

YSJU requires all researchers to deposit research data that supports research outputs into the University open data repository, RaYDaR, unless specified otherwise in their data management plan (DMP). 

It is recognised that some research data may be subject to restriction for legal, ethical or commercial reasons and may not be in scope for open data deposit. In these cases, researchers should follow relevant governance and ethical principles set out by the institution or funders. Please see the Safeguarding all research data section below for more information or view the Research Ethics and integrity pages.

Research data definitions

Research data is any data found or generated through a research project. It can be categorised in two forms - 'active' data and the final, long-term data set.

Active data is all the data that is collected and available to the researcher(s) during the research process. It can take a variety of forms including spreadsheets, field notes, interview transcripts, surveys and questions. Multi-media and audio-visual material are also forms of research data as well as sketches and annotations throughout a project.

The final dataset is where active data is selected, cleaned and anonymised (if applicable). Open data is usually the final dataset and is made available in a form that allows anyone to freely access, download, share and reuse (subject to open licence terms). Open data should align with the FAIR data principles, that data should be fair and equitable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.

Scope

The Open Data policy applies to all research conducted at YSJU by staff and students. This policy also applies to anyone conducting research on behalf of YSJU, including honorary staff, contractors, volunteers, Visiting Fellows, Cultural Fellows, Professors and Emeritus Professors.

The Open Data policy only applies to undergraduate and taught postgraduate students whose research data is included in published research outputs, although YSJU expect all students to uphold the principles of research data management. For information about research data management and processes for all research types view the research data management toolkit.

This policy identifies roles and responsibilities to ensure that open research will be stored, retained, discoverable and accessible in accordance with open data principles while balancing legal, statutory, ethical and funding requirements.

Intellectual property (IP) and copyright

IP and ownership

The ownership of all research data, collected and generated by researchers will be subject to the University's Intellectual Property Policy, unless the terms of research grants or contracts determine otherwise.

Copyright and open licences

Final datasets deposited onto the University's data repository, RaYDaR, requires an open licence, usually in the form of a Creative Commons licence. This allows research data to be accessed freely and built on without prior permission of the copyright holder (subject to the specific open licence terms).

York St John University recommends the Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY) or the CC BY ND licence applied to all open research outputs, including open research data.

However, some open research data may be linked to other funders or publications meaning a different Creative Commons licence is preferrable. If you wish to select a different open licence or require further advice, contact ray@yorksj.ac.uk.

Open Data preservation

RaYDaR

Researchers are required to deposit final, open datasets on RaYDaR to preserve and demonstrate research integrity.

RaYDaR allows a range of accessible file formats to be uploaded.
It automatically generates a DOI, allowing a persistent location to the open data.

ORCID

Researchers are encouraged to register for an ORCID ID for all research outputs and open data. An ORCID ID is a unique, persistent identifier attached to individual researchers and can identify research outputs and research data. 

Researchers are recommended to link or reference their ORCID ID on RaYDaR. Where RaYDaR is not used for data deposits, the chosen data repository should support ORCID.

Safeguarding all research data

All research data should be managed throughout the research data lifecycle as part of YSJU's commitment to research excellence and in compliance with funder requirements.

The PI, Research Degree Supervisor or Lead Researcher is responsible for the creation of a DMP prior to the start of all research projects. All research proposals should include a DMP that addresses data capture, management, integrity, confidentiality, security, retention, sharing and publication. All researchers involved in the project should know about the DMP and are responsible for monitoring its implementation.

It is University policy that all research data will be safeguarded by all researchers, by being:

• Collected fairly and lawfully and stored/transferred in accordance with the Data Protection Act; held securely, be accurate and only held for as long as necessary.
• Processed within the research participant's rights, under the terms it was collected and be relevant, adequate and not excessive.
• Stored securely in a format appropriate for the type of research data in question.
• Make use of University-provided storage that is within any legal jurisdiction specified in the research proposal or grant awarding boarding regulations, for example stored within the European Union.
• Limited to access by only those that are authorised as part of the research project.
• Where possible, all electronically stored data on YSJU's network relating to research participants, should be anonymised or pseudonymised in respect of personal details or identifiers.
• Where portable electronic storage devices or laptops are being used (for example, external hard disks or USB devices), the device should be encrypted and the expectation for anonymised or pseudonymised data still applies. The data should be backed up to an area provided by YSJU.
• Encrypted during transmission, for example if stored on a USB stick, laptop, or sent over the internet.
• If researchers are dealing with security sensitive research, for example, terror related materials, Ministry of Defence commissioned work, animal rights extremism, or IT encryption design; they must declare this research. The University Ethics Committee will provide guidance on what is considered security sensitive and how the data should be stored.
• All published outputs resulting from the research data should include a reference to where the data can be accessed.

Storage and management of the final research data set

Once complete, the final dataset must be 'cleaned' to ensure it complies with YSJU's Data Protection Policy and then deposited in YSJU’s Research Open Data Repository, RaYDaR.

If the final data set is to be stored in a national or international repository it must only do so if conditions for access have been considered and agreed by the Pro Vice Chancellor Research and International (PVCRI). Even if the data set is stored elsewhere (with permission of the PVCRI), entry must be made into the University Data Repository, RaYDaR.

When depositing research data into external data repositories, the data repositories should support ORCID.

A statement should be provided in any research output describing how and on what terms any supporting research data may be accessed. Supporting data should be accessible online no later than the first online publication of the research output.

York St John University expects that most research data will be open access in a digital format; however, in instances where research data is unsuitable as an open, digital type it should be:

• Stored securely.
• Labelled, indexed or categorised appropriately.
• Described as a metadata entry in the Open Data Repository, RaYDaR.
• Unless otherwise required non-open data sets should be held for a minimum period of 10 years from the later date of either the last access, or of the last publication based wholly or in part on the data set.

Non-open datasets shall be retained for longer where:

• An increased retention period is required to meet the YSJU's statutory obligations, contractual obligations or the guidelines of the body funding the relevant research project.
• The results of the research have resulted in a patent application.
• The results of the research have become contentious or subject to challenge during the currently agreed retention period, in which case, the data set should be retained pending review and not destroyed or otherwise disposed of until the matter is fully resolved.
• The research has a public interest or longer-term value.
• At the time of scheduled review, each research data set should be considered for retention, disposal/destruction, or potential relaxation of access limitations. Where the recommendation is other than for disposal/destruction a new review date should be scheduled.
• All active Research Data must be destroyed in a safe and secure manner, as outlined in the original DMP.

Personal responsibility

Failure to adhere to this policy may result in an employee's or student's behaviour being investigated under the relevant University Disciplinary Procedure. The University will also investigate any allegations that any person conducting research on behalf of, or within the University has not adhered to the guidelines within this policy.