Research data glossary

This A-Z listing provides definitions for terms associated with research data management, including those used in the Research Data Management Policy guidance and related policies.

Agreement, in the context of research data sharing or transfer, refers to a formal contract that sets out the purpose of the data sharing or transfer, how the data will be managed and the rights and responsibilities of the parties. Sometimes referred to as a data sharing agreement or data transfer agreement. For more information, see Data sharing agreements.

CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility and Ethics) refers to the CARE Principles of Indigenous Data Governance published by the Global Indigenous Data Alliance. For more information, see CARE principles for Indigenous data.

Data Availability Statement, sometimes called a data access or accessibility statement, explains where the research data associated with an article or output can be found. It may include the conditions of access, reasons for restriction, and, where applicable, links to the data. For more information, see Data availability statements.

Data classification refers to the University’s schema for classifying different types of data, as detailed in the University’s Data classification standard.

Data governance refers to the arrangements put in place to ensure the interests of rightsholders and stakeholders in research data are protected and that all ethical, legal, data sovereignty and commercial constraints are adhered to throughout the research data lifecycle. Commonly, research data governance will enable answers to questions regarding: the quality and value of the data for a particular application; who can access it and for what purpose, how this is decided and by whom; how it can be accessed, including location; and the security required and how the data are being protected. These details should be documented in a Data Management Plan.

Data Management Plan (DMP) is a plan describing: the research data that will be collected and its data classification; the legal, ethical, data sovereignty and commercial constraints relating to research data; how the research data will be organised and managed; the research data management roles, responsibilities, governance and access arrangements; how research data will be stored, shared and returned, retained, deleted and/or destroyed (as appropriate). For more information, see Research data management planning.

Deletion means logically, but not necessarily physically, erasing research data. Deletion does not always eliminate the possibility of recovering all or part of the original research data.

Destruction means the process of overwriting, erasing or physically destroying information so that it cannot be recovered.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a digital identifier of an object, and can be assigned to any object, whether physical or digital. DOIs serve as unique, permanent alphanumeric strings assigned to specific objects, which remain unchanged. DOIs are the most common type of identifier for digital objects, particularly for scholarly, research, and technical publications and outputs. For more information, see DOIs for research.

FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) refers to the FAIR guiding principles for research data management and stewardship.

High availability, in the context of a Secure Research Environment (SRE), is a characteristic of a system which aims to ensure an agreed level of operational performance, usually uptime. For example, the delivery of clinical care requires high availability of systems to perform routine daily activities.

Indigenous data refers to digital or digitisable information or knowledge that is about or from Indigenous people, language, culture, resources, or environments.

Institutional data refers to the administrative data generated by research activities, e.g. grant or ethics applications, that are governed by the University’s Data Governance Policy. This includes data about research grants and contracts.

Machine-actionable refers to information that is consistently structured so that machines can be programmed against such a structure.

Machine-actionable Data Management Plans (maDMP), sometimes referred to as machine-readable DMPs, are structured so they can be read and actioned by humans and computers or programmes to enable automation and integration.

Māori data refers to digital or digitisable information or knowledge that is about or from Māori people, language, culture, resources, or environments.

Māori data sovereignty recognises that Māori data should be subject to Māori governance and managed in accordance with the principles of Māori Data Sovereignty published by Te Mana Raraunga. For more information, see Māori data sovereignty.

Master sources, sometimes referred to as sources of truth, are those sources or systems within the University, where a particular data element is mastered (or edited) in only that place. In this context, it defines where an information element can be pushed, or pulled from or to a system to ensure data integrity, e.g. the ethics system is the source of truth for the approved ethics obligations for a particular project, it should only be updated through the following processes connected to that system, but this information can flow from this system to be reused by other systems.

Metadata is information about research data, such as content, quality, format, location and access rights. For more information, see Research metadata.

Open access is a set of principles and practices by which academic research outputs are made available publicly through online distribution, either via an open-access journal, open-access book, or inclusion in an institutional or disciplinary repository. For more information, see Open Access.

ORCID is an identifier designed specifically for the research community to disambiguate researchers. ORCID partners with local organisations to form regional consortia.  Aotearoa New Zealand’s ORCID Hub was established following initial development in 2017/18 and includes more than 50 member organisations across university, government, research data management, and medical sectors. For more information, see ORCID.

Ownership has the same meaning as intellectual property rights under the Intellectual Property Created by Staff and Students Policy.

Pacific data refers to digital or digitisable information or knowledge about or from Pacific people, languages, cultures, resources, or environments. For more information, see Pacific data sovereignty.

Persistent identifiers (PIDs): An identifier is any label used to name something uniquely (whether online or offline). URLs are an example of an identifier. So are serial numbers, and personal names. A persistent identifier is guaranteed to be managed and kept up to date over a defined time period. ORCID is an example of a persistent identifier for a person, while DOIs are persistent identifiers for research outputs.

Primary materials are physical objects and samples, such as biological samples, that are acquired for the purpose of research and from which research data may be derived.

Protective security requirements (PSR) refer to the policy framework for protective security in Aotearoa, as detailed in the Trusted Research Guidance for Institutions and Researchers. For more information, see MBIE dual use/sensitive technologies assessments.

RAID (Research Activity Identifier) is a persistent and unique identifier assigned to a research project or activity's descriptive or metadata record. Date/time stamps attached to the PIDs form a timeline of the research actions and interactions to record all the researchers, institutions, outputs, tools and services used in a project.

RDM capability maturity model is a capability maturity model (CMM) that details the dimensions (or ‘ingredients’) of an institutional capability and describes what those dimensions look like at different levels of maturity. The full Waipapa Taumata Rau model is available in Figshare.

RDM stocktake report and recommendations. A report detailing the findings from a stocktake (engagement, survey and interviews) of Research Data Management (RDM) capability maturity at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, with reference to a new RDM Capability Maturity Model (CMM) developed through the RDM project (2020-21).

Research data are the evidence that underpin the answer to a research question and can be used to validate findings regardless of their form (e.g. print, digital, or physical). Research data do not include institutional data or primary materials.

Research data lifecycle is a multi-phase approach to governing, organising and managing research data; starting with planning and designing, and moving through creating and collecting, analysis and interpretation, publishing and reporting, to enabling the discovery and reuse of research data. Activities within these phases will differ across disciplines and research methods.

Research data management is the process of planning and undertaking the collection, organisation, management, storage, backup, preservation and sharing of data before, during and after a research project.

The Research Organisation Registry (ROR) is a global, community-led registry of open, persistent identifiers for research organisations.

Research staff means all staff members employed to undertake research as part of their employment agreement with the University.

Researcher includes research staff, students, honorary appointees, adjunct appointees and contractors that undertake research at the University or using University resources, or otherwise on behalf of the University.

Restricted data has the meaning set out in the University’s Data classification standard.

Retention means to retain research data in accordance with the University’s minimum Research data retention periods.

Return means the return of research data to the originating community or data provider, as indicated by the original terms of access to those data and materials.

Secure Research Environment (SRE, previously referred to as a Data Safe Haven) is a highly secure environment that enables the secure upload, storage, processing and analysis of sensitive data by approved research collaborators.

Sensitive data has the meaning set out in the University’s Data Classification Standard.

Student, in the context of research data management, means any person enrolled in a degree, diploma or certificate course at the University whose enrolment includes undertaking research.

Supervisor has the meaning set out in the Doctoral Supervision Policy and Procedures and the Masters by Research Supervision Guidelines.

University means the University of Auckland and includes all subsidiaries.

University community includes all staff members (whether permanent, temporary, or part-time), honorary staff, students (whether full-time or part-time), contractors, subcontractors, consultants, alumni, associates, business partners, official visitors, and guests of members of the University or UniServices.

University delegate, in this context, means the person with the requisite authority to execute an agreement on behalf of the University, as set out in the relevant delegation schedule or agency agreement with UniServices.

University-managed research storage refers to one or more secure data storage services dedicated to research data managed by the University of Auckland. For options, see Choosing data storage.

Research Data Support Services
Email: researchdata@auckland.ac.nz

eResearch Engagement Lead
Email: Laura Armstrong