Grant Applications
In many grant applications you will be required to discuss how data will be managed in the project.
Research Services is the University's primary source for support with grant applications. The Research Services website includes grant writing tips. This page provides help specifically for the research data management sections of grant applications.
In the accordion menus below you will find exemplar sentences describing various aspects of managing data in a research project. You can cut and paste these sentences, then adapt them to suit your needs as you fill out the research data management section of your grant application.
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Collecting data
- Data will be collected using the Qualtrics survey tool, which is hosted on servers located in Australia and offers data security and protection controls.
- Interviews will recorded on video and subsequently transcribed for analysis. No notes will be taken during the interview. Video data and transcripts will be stored on University of Adelaide research data storage and backed up automatically.
- LIDAR data will be collected from the air, using Airborne Research Australia research aircraft. The data will be uploaded to University of Adelaide servers as soon as possible after landing. Metadata is automatically generated and included within the data files.
- Images will be collected using Adelaide Microscopy's Philips XL20 Scanning Electron Microscope. Images and descriptive metadata will be immediately uploaded to University of Adelaide data storage facilities, with secondary copies on the lab's data storage server.
- Raw genomic data will be immediately uploaded to the Lab's electronic research notebook (LabArchives). All descriptive metadata will be manually added to the notebook by filling in the custom templates.
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Data re-use
- The dataset will be published to the University's instance of Figshare, and licensed for re-use under (select Creative Commons licence).
- The dataset will have a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for re-use tracking.
- The data and appropriate metadata will be uploaded to the TERN Data Discovery Portal to enhance discovery and re-use.
- The participant consent forms will specify the terms of data reuse. A metadata-only record will be published to the University's instance of Figshare, with contact details provided for those seeking to re-use it.
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Data storage and backup
- When conducting fieldwork, research data will be stored on the Chief Investigator’s password-protected laptop and backed up daily to two portable drives. The data will be uploaded to University storage immediately upon returning from the field.
- Data will be organised into separate files and stored in the appropriate folder on the lab's electronic research notebook (LabArchives).
- Each file will be named according to the Lab's naming convention. This includes the agreed sub-project acronym, the type of content (survey data, transcript data etc.), the instrument used, and the date it was collected. A read-me sub-file will be included within each file, including instrument setting information.
- We will use the University of Adelaide's Genomics Repository for storage and analysis of large genomic datasets, and for making data available to our collaborators.
- All research data will be transferred to a designated drive on the University of Adelaide's enterprise data storage, which automatically ensures data is backed-up and secure, and provides reliable disaster recovery precautions.
- Master copies of the research data will be read-only, with only the Chief Investigator to have edit access.
- Data will be retained for (insert period), as required by the University's Research Data and Primary Materials Policy.
- Consent forms will be retained permanently, using the University's record keeping facilities and services.
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Making data available for collaborators
- All project collaborators are based at the University of Adelaide. Box, an online cloud storage and collaboration tool provided by the University, will be used to store and provide access to the data. Data stored on Box is encrypted during transfer and at rest.
- We will use the FileSender voucher tool to make data files available to our collaborators overseas.This tool allows for client-side encryption and a set expiry date which both increase data security. Collaborators will be required to agree to the project's data sharing agreement before receiving access.
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Publishing data
- All DNA and RNA sequence data will be submitted for publication to the European Nucleotide Archive.
- All research outputs and research data related to this project will be deposited in Figshare, the University of Adelaide's digital research data repository. Figshare enables wide dissemination, discoverability and data citation via search engines including Google and Research Data Australia. This is facilitated by the use of persistent unique identifiers (including DOIs) and the application of appropriate metadata standards.
- A metadata record for all data collected during the project will be made available via Research Data Australia, including persistent contact details. This record will also include a DOI to allow for data citation. Open publication of the data via the internet is not feasible due to the size of the dataset, but specific arrangements will be made as appropriate upon request.
- Only completely anonymised data will be made open access.
- Commercially sensitive data will be published following a twelve month embargo post project completion.
- The dataset will be openly available after a six month embargo period, to allow for the publication of journal articles directly based upon the data.
- Requests for access to the research data will be mediated by a link to contact the Chief Investigator on the metadata record.
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Data management planning
- Data management will be planned using the University of Adelaide's online research data management planning tool, Research Data Planner. The tool ensures that a copy of the plan is automatically deposited into the University's records management system.
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Primary materials
- During the research project physical paper-based data will be stored in locked filing cabinet in the Chief Investigator’s office.
- All geological samples will be stored in the lab's store, and catalogued in the sample management catalogue.
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Data preservation
- All data storage media, including external hard drives, will be replaced within warranty, and files will be migrated to avoid degradation and corruption.
- To protect and preserve completed hard-copy survey forms, they will be stored in a climate-controlled environment, in archive-quality boxes recommended by University Records.
- At the completion of the project, digital data will be converted to a standard xml format to ensure it continues to be accessible despite evolution of analysis software, operating systems, and hardware.
- At the completion of the project, all documents will be converted to the digital preservation, ISO-standard PDF/A format and stored in the University's record management system.
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Sensitive data
- Because of the small population of the geographical location we are studying, our surveys will collect information may be used to identify individuals or groups when analysed against other available information. To protect against this we will store data on access-controlled storage provided by the University of Adelaide and encrypt the data.
- All project personnel involved in handling the data in any way will be required to sign non-disclosure agreements and be briefed in the project's strategies for ensuring data remains safe, secure and confidential.
- All project data will be stored securely on access-controlled storage provided by the University of Adelaide.
- All sensitive data will be password protected and encrypted, and only authorised personnel will have access to the encryption key.
- Sensitive data will only ever be transferred amongst authorised external personal using the encrypted CloudStor FileSender service which allows for client-side encryption and a set expiry date. Sensitive data will never be emailed.
- Information that can identify participants in the study, such as names and addresses, will be de-identified and stored in a separate location to the key.
- Because the research will be conducted for a commercial client the data will be commercial in confidence. The data will be stored according to the conditions set out by the client in the contract.
- In order to ensure optimal research outcomes from the study, we have informed consent from participants in the study to publish de-identified data on completion of the research project.
- We will anonymise the data and reduce the precision of the geographical elements before archiving it.
- At the end of the retention period University Records will destroy all confidential data using the University's record management system.