Checklist for handling research data
Are you going to share scientific data? If so, with whom and in what form? A checklist produced by the Dutch scientific society KNAW helps researchers to draw up a data plan. The list consists of main questions with follow-up questions, for example: what data will the research produce and who will have access to it? A follow-up question is then: what are the ethical and legal thresholds?
The checklist is part of an advisory report issued by the KNAW on 27 May on the sharing of scientific data. In addition to issues of ownership and privacy, there are practical problems with the infrastructure for storing data and with the ‘metadata’ that makes the data searchable, writes the KNAW. The report also calls for clarity on the costs of storage (who pays?) and help from dedicated data officers. Further, institutions should help with legal and ethical issues. (HOP, BB)
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