Research Data Management FAQs

What is UNE’s centrally supported storage for research data?

UNE has established cloud.UNE for its cloud storage solution for researchers to use during their active research phase.

cloud.UNE operates much like Dropbox in so far as you can install and set up a local client onto your desktop and interact with this cloud storage like another file on your computer.

Why is the University mandating that my research data be made Open Access?

The University does not require research data to be made Open Access. While it is a requirement to create a description of your completed research data that will be published in Research UNE (RUNE), it is not a requirement to publish the completed research data itself. Making research data Open Access is entirely the choice of the researcher. If the researcher does choose to provide Open Access to their research data, then the researcher is encouraged to do so according to the University's procedures. To find how you can do this, contact librarians@une.edu.au.

What is a metadata record?

Metadata is the information about the research data collection including its contents, quality, format, collection/creation methodology, storage location, usage requirements, management requirements, and people involved with collecting the research data. A metadata record can be created for both a digital as well as a physical data collection. All metadata records for research data are published and publicly accessible in Research UNE and Research Data Australia.

Metadata records are primarily purposed for discovery of research data. Once the metadata record has been created, a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) will be issued for that record facilitating discoverability, reuse and citation. To find out more, contact librarians@une.edu.au.

How do I use a DOI?

Digital Object Identifiers are used by a number of academic platforms such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus and ORCID to track the citations of a particular research output and measure research performance. A DOI is a resolvable and persistent URL that links to a research output such as a research data collection. UNE anticipates that future Excellence of Research in Australia (ERA) assessments will include research data as an indicator of research performance and will use DOIs to determine this. Upon the University Library placing your completed research data in the University's data archive, they will generate a DOI for this item which will be recorded in the RUNE metadata record. For more information, contact librarians@une.edu.au.

I use data collected by an external group. Do UNE’s research data management requirements apply to me?

Unless an agreement has been signed between the researcher and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), all of UNE's research data requirements, as set out in the policy and procedures, will apply.

What is UNE’s data archive for completed research data collections?

The university data archive for completed research data is a storage repository that the University Library manages. This repository is only for research data that has been completed based on a research publication or the ending of a research project or grant. When a research data collection is stored in the data archive as persistent, resolvable URL is generated that will provide the entry-point to that collection upon satisfying the access protocols assigned by the lead researcher.

How long will my research data collection be stored in the data archive?

The archived research data collection will be stored for the minimum retention period as determined by the Ethics approval process.

What happens with my research data if I leave UNE?

The archived research data will remain in the UNE data archive and will become the responsibility of the Head of School and the Director of Research Services.

What is the security level of cloud.UNE?

cloud.UNE has a current rating of A+ from an independent assessment by SSL Labs. All connections to cloud.UNE (either via the web browser or via the local client) are transmitted over HTTPS which is secured via robust encryption technologies.

Is my data backed up on cloud.UNE?

The data-centre underlying cloud.UNE is located on UNE's Armidale campus. The data within this facility is copied to another data-centre located in Sydney.

Default cloud.UNE accounts of 500Gb in size are backed up on IT's other storage and shipped offsite once a week. Account holders can retrieve deleted items via the "Deleted files" folder located in the bottom left of screen.

Storage accounts beyond 500Gb are backed up by snapshotting the file system. Deleted files can be retrieved by the "Backup" of these accounts.

These snapshots are taken as follows:

• Hourly, and retained for 24 hours
• Daily, and retained for 31 days
• Weekly, and retained for 6 weeks
• Monthly, and retained for 12 months

After 12 months the data is not retrievable.

In addition, the systems are also snapshotted in the underlying storage. This is done so that, in the case of catastrophic disk corruption, the data can be recovered.

Does cloud.UNE support versioning?

cloud.UNE does support versioning, but only when the file is edited in the cloud.UNE. There are some proprietary file formats that are not supported by cloud.UNE and therefore their contents are not editable and able to be versioned.

Alternatively, you can support file versioning in whatever file-naming convention you employ.

Does cloud.UNE meet legal standards for storage and retention research data?

Broadly speaking, yes. Legal requirements for storage vary depending on the data being stored, as outlined by the Australian Privacy Principles and Health Record and Information Privacy Act. cloud.UNE meets all of the legal requirements outlined in these documents, which is that the data must be stored in the NSW jurisdiction. As for the retention of research from the date of a research output, as set out in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, cloud.UNE is not the University's storage facility to address this requirement.

UNE has a data archive for completed research data which is managed by the University Library. To store your completed research data in the University data archive, contact librarians@une.edu.au.

Can I set different access rights to shared folders with cloud.UNE?

Yes, you can but only when sharing a folder with a UNE person has an account on cloud.UNE. The options of access rights include "Can Share", "Can Edit", "Can delete", "Can create" and "Can change". To find how you can do this, contact librarians@une.edu.au.

Do I have to submit my research data to RUNE?

Unless there are special circumstances which would preclude you from submitting your research data to RUNE (e.g. your data is highly sensitive) you are required to make your submission.  If you believe you have special circumstances, you are able to apply for an exemption to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research (DVCR). The exemption request must clearly specify the reasons you believe your data cannot be archived, and have the support of your Principal Supervisor. The HDR Team in Research Services will facilitate DVCR review of your request.

When should I submit my research data to RUNE?

You will need to submit your dataset to RUNE before you submit your thesis for examination.  The RUNE team recommends that you begin the process of making your dataset submission two weeks before you are ready to submit your thesis for examination.  This will give you plenty of time to organise your dataset, collect the metadata required for your submission and allow enough time (three working days) for the RUNE team to review and finalise your submission.

Will my research data be accessible to the public if I archive it in RUNE?

Not necessarily. You will be able to choose if your research data is Open Access (accessible by the public) or not.  You can choose what Access Rights you would like to assign to your dataset:

• Open Access – Open Access means that your metadata record will be discoverable and viewable by the public.  Additionally, your dataset files downloadable from RUNE.  When you choose Open Access, you will select a Creative Commons Licence which will instruct those accessing your data on how it can be used.
• Mediated Access – Mediated Access means that your metadata record in RUNE is discoverable and viewable by the public but that your dataset files are not downloadable.  Your contact details will be viewable in the metadata record so if someone is interested in negotiating access to your dataset they will be able to contact you to negotiate access.  It will be up to you to decide if you will grant access and under what conditions.
• Closed Access – Closed Access means that your metadata record in RUNE is discoverable and viewable by the public but that your dataset files are not downloadable.  Closed Access indicates to others that you intend the dataset to remain closed and that access will not be negotiable.

Additionally, it is possible to make your submission to RUNE undiscoverable by selecting the ‘private item’ box in the ‘Access’ tab of the RUNE submission form.  This is generally reserved for datasets which are highly sensitive in nature.  If you select this option, the RUNE team will liaise with you to confirm the appropriateness of selecting this option once your submission is made.

If you have more questions about Access Rights you can view the RUNE Guidelines (see Part B, Stage 2.3) or contact the Research Data Lead Librarian.

I have a very large dataset and I can’t upload it to the RUNE submission form

A: If you have a dataset that is too large to upload to the RUNE submission form it is recommended that you share your data with the RUNE team via Cloud.UNE.

To do this, fill in the RUNE submission form without uploading anything to the ‘upload’ portion of the form and finalise the submission.  Then, log into Cloud.UNE with your UNE credentials and move your research data to a single folder in Cloud.UNE, clearly marked with your name (e.g. LASTNAME, firstname).  Once this is done, you can click the sharing icon and in the resulting window you can share your folder with cloud-dataarchiving.

When this process is complete, the RUNE team will receive an email notifying them that you have shared your data with them via Cloud.UNE, and they will be able to link your data provided via Cloud.UNE to your RUNE submission.

How long do I need to retain my research data for?

The NSW State Archives & Records Education: Higher & Further Education and Research Records (GA47) guideline (section 3.5.0 Research Data) provides a minimum retention period that researchers must retain their research data for.  This minimum retention period varies, depending on the type of research you are conducting.  Archiving your research data in RUNE satisfies these requirements.

Will the dataset I archive in RUNE be assigned a Digital Object identifier (DOI)?

Yes, once your dataset is made live in RUNE (this process occurs when your thesis examination is concluded and a copy of your thesis is provided to RUNE), a DOI will be minted.  Your archived dataset is a valuable research output, just like any journal articles or conference proceedings you may produce.  Be sure to add it to your Researcher Profiles!