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RDM Planning

RDM Planning Guide

Human Ethics research data management plan is incorporated into the Ethics Application form. This is found on the Human Ethics webpage.

                

Element 4 is related to research data management

 

General tips

  • Think whole data lifecycle- during your research you may have different types of data, with different formats.
    • Videos of interviews that become transcripts
    • Physical notes and photographs of whiteboard discussions that become digital word documents
    • Analysis of interviews
    • Quantitative data, that become deidentified
    • Published data- anonymised and aggregated
    • Archived data
  • Be specific and clear
  • e.g. We will store on the La Trobe Research Drive;  The survey will be done using REDcap; Audio recordings using my Android device; Physical data will be stored on Room 206, Building HS1; Anonymised and pooled data will be shared on Figshare; All data will be deleted after seven years in consultation with IS.
  • Mention who outside La Trobe who will access the data, and how they will do so
  • Be mindful of potential sensitivities and identifiable elements
  • Be consistent

In the Data Identification section, describe the different data that will be collected

Physical data

e.g. Notes taken from focus groups

Observations of behaviour

 

Digital Data

e.g. collected via surveys, online platforms

See recommended collection methods

Data will be collected by a REDCap survey

We will use platform X to collect the data. This platform is hosted in Australia and their security and privacy policy is here.

 

Audio-Visual

e.g. recordings using phones; interviews conducted via Zoom

See recommended collection methods

Interviews will be conducted via Zoom

Interviews will be recorded with my personal phone with cloud-sharing turned off

 

Biospecimens

Any biological material obtained from a human

For advice on biospecimen collection methods, please contact Biosafety

 

Physical specimens or artefacts or archival material

e.g. Preserved human tissue

 

 

Is my data identifiable re-identifiable, or non-identifiable?

The National Statement for Ethical Conduct in Human Research states:
 

"The National Statement does not use the terms ‘identifiable’, ‘potentially identifiable’, ‘reidentifiable’, ‘non-identifiable’ or ‘de-identified’ as descriptive categories for data or information due to ambiguities in their meanings. Re-identification and de-identification are best understood as processes that change the character of information."
 

For any questions about the identifiability of your data, please contact ;Human Ethics.

 

Is my consent specific, extended, or unspecified?

The National Statement for Ethical Conduct in Human Research states:

2.2.14 Consent may be:

(a) ‘specific’: limited to the specific project under consideration;
(b) ‘extended’: given for the use of data or tissue in future research projects that are:

(i) an extension of, or closely related to, the original project; or
(ii) in the same general area of research (for example, genealogical, ethnographical, epidemiological, or chronic illness research);

(c) ‘unspecified’: given for the use of data or tissue in any future research. The necessarily limited information and understanding about research for which extended or unspecified consent is given can still be sufficient and adequate for the purpose of consent (see paragraph 2.2.2)
 

For any questions about consent, please contact Human Ethics.

Describe any procedures or plans for verifying or cleaning data

List how you will ensure the integrity of the data e.g. regular research team review.

 

Describe how data/materials will be analysed

List how the data will get analysed e.g Themes and trends will be analysed using NVivo

 

What descriptive record (metadata) will be created for the data to aid discovery and retrieval?

Publishing information about your data can allow others to find out about your research. It can increase your visibility and chances for collaboration. This doesn't necessarily mean making your data open access to the world- it may mean mediated access (where you control who has access and under what conditions) or no access.

 

Where will the record by published?

Open @ La Trobe (OPAL), La Trobe’s institutional repository. Example

Other archive or repository, please specify e.g. Australian Data Archive, a great source of mediated access data.

Useful links:

Date copyright was implemented

Only enter if this is known. Otherwise leave blank

 

Data ownership type

Only applicable if data obtained from a third party

e.g. Open license- from Australian Data Archive

 

What are the legal requirements for pre-existing data?

Only applicable if data obtained from a third party

e.g. Conditions of use for data from Australian Data Archive

 

Where are the pre-existing data located?

Only applicable if data obtained from a third party

e.g. Data located on the password protected drive of the Australian Sportsball Federation

 

Are there additional requirements for the data?

Only applicable if data obtained from a third party.

e.g. Data can only be accessed by named researchers, an audit trail is made of all who access the data and when.

In the Data Storage and destruction section, describe where data will be stored

Physical data

e.g. notes taken with pen and paper

Data will be stored in a locked filing cabinet in the LEO building, Bundoora campus, room 2.06

 

Digital Data

e.g. collected via surveys, online platforms

See recommended storage

Data will be downloaded from the REDCap platform and stored on the Online Research Notebook

Data will be stored on the Research Drive R/PROJECT-KAY . Data will be transferred to external collaborators using the AARNet FileSender tool.

 

Audio-Visual

e.g. recordings using phones; interviews conducted via Zoom

See recommended collection methods

Interviews will be conducted via Zoom

Interviews will be recorded with my personal phone with cloud-sharing turned off

 

Biospecimens

Any biological material obtained from a human

For advice on biospecimen collection methods, please contact Biosafety

 

What type of conditions / restriction to access apply?

Encryption means to scramble a message in such a way that only the people who are meant to read it can do so. Encryption works by both people making use of a secret 'key' that only they know (or at least their computers know). The original message is mixed in with the key to create a secret message. 

Authentication  A form of system control that checks to see if a user's credentials match the credentials in a database of authorized users or in a data authentication server

Password  A password only known to people who have access to the data

For any questions about protecting your data, please contact IS.

 

How long do I need to retain data for?

 

  • Research: 5-years post publication date
  • Research with Health information: 7 years post-publication
  • Drug/Device clinical trials participants 18+ years: 15 years post publication date
  • Drug/Device clinical trials from participants under 18 years of age: When the last participant turns 25 or 15 years post publication date, whichever is longest.
  • Indefinitely  Please note that you may need to explain why you wish to keep your data indefintely for Human Ethics applications

For any questions about retention periods please contact ;Human Ethics.

 

How will data be securely destroyed?

Physical data – physical information will be shredded and disposed of in a secured document bin.  

Digital data - destruction of electronic data should be done following consultation with ICT and in accordance with ICT protocols, to make sure the information is permanently deleted and cannot be retrieved.

Biospecimens – For advice on biospecimen disposal methods, please contact Biosafety

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