Research Integrity partners with the research community to assist with the implementation of strategic initiatives involving the use of research data, helping to build new models of data sharing and related processes to enable Brown to achieve its research collaboration and growth objectives.
Division of Research
Research Data Management
Brown Data Management Policy
The Research Data and Research Materials Management, Sharing and Retention Policy, available along with related policies, on the University Policies website, outlines Brown’s expectations with respect to the management, sharing and retention of research data and materials for projects conducted at the University, or with University resources.
Brown’s Data Management Policy
Research Data Management Policy FAQs
University policy provides a clear definition of what is considered research data. Research data are the concrete data or information another researcher would need to reproduce or evaluate your results. This data does not include ideas, hypotheses or physical lab samples.
As the recipient of research funds awarded to the University (not to an individual), the institution is the owner of research data and research materials that originate from sponsored research. In addition, the institution must ensure that its community complies with laws, regulations and institutional policy, including, for example, assessing allegations of research misconduct. Ownership concerns the rights and title to the research data and research materials, not physical possession nor direct responsibility.
No, Brown is the owner of all research data and research materials for projects conducted at the University, under the auspices of the University, or with University resources (monetary or otherwise). Exceptions are only made when Brown ownership is precluded by the specific terms of sponsorship or other agreement.
The principal investigator (PI) is responsible for developing and overseeing a research data storage plan that is in accordance with the appropriate Office of Information Technology Data Risk Classification level.
There are two forms of laboratory notebooks — physical lab notebooks and electronic lab notebooks (ELNs). Original physical lab notebooks must remain at Brown when researchers depart the University. Researchers may, with permissions detailed in the policy, take copies of physical lab notebooks when they leave. The University Library can assist with making high-quality copies for departing researchers.
For ELNs, researchers must transfer ownership of the ELN to their PI before leaving Brown. Researchers are allowed to make a digital or physical copy of the ELN before departing. Students and postdocs need to get permission from their PIs to make copies of research data.
If you have an issue with compliance or other concerns, please contact researchdata@brown.edu.
Research data, including physical laboratory notebooks and materials, must continue to be maintained by the department if they are within the retention period set forth in the policy. If the data/materials are beyond the required retention period(s), the PI should proactively reach out to the University records manager or archivist in advance of the PI’s departure. The archivist will work with PIs to determine the most appropriate disposal solutions for data that have met and/or exceed the periods outlined in the policy, assess the need and determine any storage solutions for data that should be retained beyond the minimum established retention periods, and appraise and select data and materials with enduring historical value for the University and society.
Data collected from an external party under a DUA is considered source data (see the policy for a full definition). Source data must be destroyed in accordance with the terms of the DUA; this is permissible under the approved policy.
No, this policy only applies to research data and research materials.
Federal Policies on Data Management
- National Human Genome Research Institute Notice
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Policy
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Data Policy
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Policy for Data Management and Sharing
- National Science Foundation (NSF) PAPPG: Plans for Data Management
- Notice of Data Sharing Policy for Autism Data
Example Federal Data Repositories
Brown University Library Data Resources
Brown University Library provides several services and tools aimed at making data, metadata and code — as well as other digital products of research — discoverable and available for others to cite, reuse and repurpose. Brown University Library data management and sharing services are available to students, staff and faculty researchers interested in managing, archiving and disseminating their research data and other digital research products to other researchers and the public.
Brown Digital Repository (BDR)
Among Brown Library’s services is the Brown Digital Repository (BDR), a platform for providing and preserving access to Brown researchers’ data online. The library can help you to deposit data in the BDR, or it can help you with identifying other open data repositories provided or supported by the federal government, a research funder or a specific scientific community that may better meet your needs depending on the type, size and number of data files. In addition to the BDR, Brown maintains memberships and subscriptions to several resources for sharing data with collaborators or other researchers.
LabArchives@Brown
LabArchives@Brown is Brown’s electronic laboratory notebook platform. Faculty can create and share LabArchives electronic lab notebooks for internal and external collaborators, as well as ones for their students and lab personnel, and avoid losing access to a notebook when a student graduates or personnel leave their labs. LabArchives@Brown offers unlimited storage and 4GB per file upload. LabArchives is CFR21 Part 11-compliant and offers detailed auditing/version control for maintaining access to research records.
Other Data Storing and Sharing Resources
Brown’s Office of Information Technology manages several services that allow you to share and store data files. Use the File Storage and Transfer Comparison Guide to compare the options and decide which one best fits your needs.
Brown has classified its information assets into four risk-based categories for the purpose of determining who is allowed to access the information and what security precautions must be taken to protect it against unauthorized access.
University of Michigan’s ICPSR is a data archive of more than 250,000 files of primarily quantitative research in the social and behavioral sciences and public health domains. It hosts 21 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism and other fields, and collaborates with a number of funders to create thematic data collections.
Syracuse University’s QDR is an archive for qualitative and multi-method research data, primarily in the social and behavioral sciences. It offers various access controls for securely sharing de-identified data collected from participants who have provided their informed consent for the long-term archiving and sharing of their de-identified data with other researchers, including depositor-approved access.
Sharing Data and Material with Researchers External to Brown
In some instances, sharing research data external to Brown may require a data use agreement (DUA). Similarly, sharing research materials outside of Brown may require a material transfer agreement (MTA). For assistance with either of these types of agreements, email dua@brown.edu and mta@brown.edu respectively.
Human Subjects Research Data
In all cases, if research data are being shared under human subjects research protocols approved by the Institutional Review Board or Human Research Protection Program, the PI must adhere to the data sharing procedures outlined in the approved protocol and contact irb@brown.edu with any questions.