Research Data Management at TRU

Neither TRUSpace nor FRDR are appropriate to store sensitive or restricted data and you will have to de-identify and anonymize your data before you can publish it. Sensitive and restricted data include:

• Human Participant Data
  • human participants, human biological material
  • ensure you have consent to share and de-identify participants
  • See resources below for assistance with deciding if you can share and on de-identifying data
• Indigenous-owned data
  • Includes data collected from Indigenous people and Indigenous lands, water, and ice
  • Must receive consent from affected Indigenous community leaders to share data
• Location information
  • Includes data collected of vulnerable species, from field sites in protected areas, from sensitive archaeological sites, or from private property where consent to reveal location was not obtained, could devalue property, cause stigmatization, or endanger vulnerable species

See the next box for resources about de-identifying data and working with sensitive data.

Source: Wilson, Susie (2021). Research Data Management: Data Storage and Security. https://libguides.unbc.ca/rdm/secure-storage

Source: FRDR. (n.d.). Preparing Your Data. FRDR-DFDR. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://www.frdr-dfdr.ca/docs/en/preparing_your_data/#choosing-preservation-friendly-file-formats

Suggestions for good data security:

• Encrypt computer hard drives and other devices to prevent unauthorized access to information
• Do not use Dropbox or Google Drive to store sensitive data - make sure your data is stored and Canada, and that your chosen platform meets TRU IT requirements. Contact ITS for more information.
• Do not collect personal information unless absolutely necessary and de-identify data immediately. Segregate personal information from the other data collected.

Source: Kaitlyn Gutteridge. (2016). Data Privacy and Information Security: Researcher Checklist. UBC. https://researchdata.library.ubc.ca/files/2016/08/UBC_Checklist_for_Privacy_in_Research-Updated_August_2016.pdf

Questions? Need help with your DMP or storage? Have a suggestion for this guide? Please get in touch!

• Erin May, Scholarly Communications LIbrarian: emay@tru.ca
• Evelyn Asiedu, RDM Postdoctoral Fellow: easiedu@tru.ca

Unless stated otherwise, this guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.