Research Data Management
Research data management refers to the responsible organization and handling of data gathered in the course of research. Good data management practices can help you meet funder and publishing requirements, and cultivate more efficient workflows that ensures your research data is preserved for follow-up, replication, or further study. Research data management practices include planning for collection and storage, storing data securely, adhering to data policies, and archiving for long-term preservation.
Data Management Plans
Data Management Plans (DMPs) are required for some Tri-Agency grant applications, as well as those of major international research funding agencies. Regardless of whether research is funded or unfunded, DMPs can help ensure that you have processes and resources in place to manage your data before you begin collection.
The Data Management Plan (DMP) Assistant is a tool provided by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada and endorsed by Tri-Agency to help you organize and document your plans for your research data.
Digital Research Alliance Training Resources
Includes exemplar data management plans and templates applicable to a variety of research projects.
Data Storage and Sharing
Depositing your data in a repository can help promote your research and ensure long-term preservation. The following repositories satisfy data archiving requirements of most funders and publishers, but remember to always check the requirements of your agreement.
The Mount Royal University Data Repository is part of the Canada-wide Borealis network of repositories and provides public and restricted data archiving options for MRU faculty and students.
Federated Research Data Repository
Managed by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, FRDR is a curated repository with larger storage capacity available to all Canadian researchers.
Dryad
Dryad is a widely used multidisciplinary data repository that integrates with associated publications.
OpenICPSR
Suitable for social, behavioural, and health science data, including qualitative data, OpenICPSR is a self-publishing data platform associated and integrated with the widely used Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research database.
re3data
Use the Registry of Research Data Repositories to identify repositories by discipline.
Data Storage
| Storage Option | Description | Security | Storage Location | Collaboration | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Google Drive |
Cloud storage provided via institutional G Suite services | Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Not suitable for sensitive data | Canadian storage not guaranteed | File sharing with MRU and external users. G Suite offers some collaborative software integrated with Drive |
Free (using MRU institutional account) |
| MRU Network Drives (H: & J:) | Local network storage managed by MRU. Includes employee (H:) drive and departmental (J:) drive. | Data is secure and backed up nightly. Suitable for sensitive data. | Local storage | Default configuration does not permit shared access to files for employee drives | Free |
| Digital Research Alliance Advanced Research Computing | Advanced research computing services available to all Canadian researchers. Offers 1TB of project space plus additional temporary storage through general purpose clusters. Additional storage options are available. Requires an account via the Compute Canada Database. | Files are transferred securely but not designed for sensitive data | Various locations in Canada | ARC storage tools allow collaborative access to files and some computing software. Access is initiated and managed by the PI. | Free |
| MRU Data Repository | Locally managed, remotely hosted repository for publicly facing metadata and datasets | Uses secure and redundant storage. Data is regularly backed up and integrity checked. | Storage via the Ontario Library Research Cloud with 5 Ontario locations | Research teams can jointly add files and edit metadata. Files cannot be edited collaboratively. | Free |
| Open Science Framework | Web-based tool designed for collaboration on public and private projects. | Files are encrypted in transit but not at rest. Sensitive data should be manually encrypted. | Default storage is located in the United States but users may change preference to Canadian storage. | Provides collaborative access to files and integration with 3rd party services. Projects may be private or public. | Free with limited storage. Additional storage is available for a fee |
Data Policies and Procedures
Ethics
Data management for research involving human participants is subject to the following policies and procedures
- Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2 2022)
- MRU Ethics of Research Involving Human Research Policy
- See the Human Research Ethics Board’s website for more information about data collection and management requirements in consent letters and other guiding documents
- Guidance for archiving sensitive data from the Digital Research Alliance of Canada
Data Management and Archiving Policies
MRU
- Responsible Conduct of Research Policy
Tri-Agency
- Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy
- This policy required applicants and recipients of select funding opportunities to submit data management plans as part of the application process and to archive data stemming from funded research
- Tri-Agency Statement of Principles on Digital Data Management
- SSHRC Research Data Archiving Policy
Support
- Digital Research Alliance of Canada Training Resources
- MANTRA – University of Edinburgh, series of training modules
