Research Data Management and Sharing Resources

General Resources

• FAS Research Computing Research Data Management: Resources, training, and guidance to help researchers manage their data effectively and prepare it for sharing and reuse.  
• Research Management Website: Office of the Vice Provost: Information on the Harvard Research Data Security Policy (HRDSP), Data Use Agreements (DUAs), and federal data management policies.
• Harvard Biomedical Data Management: Tools and resources, including information on funding agency and institutional requirements, with a focus on biomedical data.

Harvard Data Policies

• Research Data Ownership Policy: Applies to research data resulting from projects conducted at the University, under the auspices of the University, or with University resources.
• Data Use Agreements: Policy and guidance describing the roles, responsibilities, and processes associated with Data Use Agreements.
• Harvard Information Security Policy: University-wide policy applicable to all data created, shared, accessed or otherwise used by Harvard researchers
  •  Examples of Research Data Security Levels
• NIH Genomic Data Sharing (“GDS”) Policy:  Policy and procedures related to genomic data sharing.
• Retention and Maintenance of Research Records and Data Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”): General institutional policy stipulating how long research records need to be retained.
  • Harvard University General Records Schedule
• Intellectual Property Statement: Policy statement regarding inventions, patents, and copyrights developed by Harvard researchers.
• Legal Agreements Workflow and Signature Authority
• Open Access Policy: Harvard's right to distribute scholarly articles for any non-commercial purpose. 
• Publications Policy: Overview of acceptable restrictions on publications and review processes

Data Management Training

• FAS Research Computing Research Data Management Seminars: Seminars focused on general data management concepts, including data storage and cleanup.  
• Countway Library’s Research Data Management Seminar Series: Classes and workshops on a variety of topics related to the management of research data. 
• National Information Standards Organization (NISO)’s Primer: Research Data Management (downloadable PDF)

Data Security 

• Harvard Data Security Classification Table: Examples of research data belonging to each of the five Harvard data security levels (1-5). 
• Collaboration Tools Matrix: Describes the security level for common collaborative tools, such as Slack or Microsoft Office.  
• Harvard Information Security and Data Privacy

Data Use Agreements

• DUA-Agreements System Job Aids: Additional guidance and information for researchers and administrators about using the Agreements System, and navigating Harvard’s DUA process.
• DUA-Agreements System and Guidance: Research adminstration site hosting resources and guidance on the new Agreements System.
• DUA Submission Guide: Step-by-step guide for researchers submitting a DUA request in the Agreements System.
• Non-Human Subjects Self-Certification Form: Faculty can determine if their use of data is not human subjects research by completing this Form. Please note, certain data providers may require a formal determination from Harvard’s IRB.

Data Storage

• FAS Research Computing offers several data storage options on a fee-for-service basis.  A description of the available storage offerings is available on the FAS Research Computing website.
  • Storage Costs 
• Harvard IT (HUIT) Collaboration Tools: Information on OneDrive, SharePoint, Dropbox and more. 

Electronic Lab Notebooks

• FASRC’s Guide to RSpace: RSpace is a web-based electronic lab notebook (ELN) where you can organize, store, and share protocols, raw data, analyses, and experimental write-ups.
• HUIT’s RSpace ELN Overview for Prospective Users: Information on key benefits of RSpace including how to gain access to the tool.

Data Repositories

• NIH Supported Generalist Data Repositories 
  • Harvard Dataverse: A free data repository open to all researchers from any discipline, where you can share, archive, and explore research data. Each individual Dataverse collection is a customizable collection of datasets (or a virtual repository) for organizing, managing, and showcasing datasets.
  • Vivli: A global clinical research data-sharing platform.
  • Open Science Framework (OSF): A free, open platform to support your research and enable collaboration.
  • Dryad: An international, curated data repository associated with scientific publications.
  • Zenodo: Generalist repository for sharing, curating, and publishing data and software. 
• GitHub: An open-source platform for sharing software. 
• OpenRefine: A powerful free, open-source tool for working with messy data.
• NIH-supported Scientific Data Repositories: A curated list of NIH-supported repositories.
• Qualitative Data Repository (QDR): A place to store, share, and discover a wide range of digital data generated or collected through qualitative and mixed-method research.
• Re3data.org: A directory of various data repositories.

NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy

• NIH’s Overview of the new Data Management and Sharing (DMS) policy
• Harvard FAQ for the 2023 Policy from Countway Library: Includes Harvard-focused answers based on current NIH guidance as well as school-specific contacts and subject matter experts.
• DMPTool: A web-based platform to assist with the creation and sharing of Data Management Plans. The tool provides step-by-step guidance for drafting DMPs, including NIH-specific templates and samples to address specific requirements.
• COGR: Council on Government Relations (COGR) NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy resources. An excellent resource for grant managers and other administrators.

NSF Data Sharing Policy

• NSF Data Management Plan: Information on the policy and plan requirements.
• NSF FAQ’s for Public Access: A comprehensive list of FAQs on NSF’s data sharing requirements.
• FAS Research Administration Services’ Guide to the NSF Data Management Plan.

NASA Scientific Information Policy

• The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has released SPD-41a: Scientific Information Policy for the Science Mission Directorate to provide guidance on the open sharing of publications, data, and software created in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. For more information please see the SMD's Science Information Policy.