Storage and sharing data during a project

Question: Where will you store your research data?

Considerations:

• What secure storage tool you will store research data on? (e.g. Microsoft SharePoint/Teams, Microsoft OneDrive)
• What temporary storage options must be used? (e.g. camera’s SD card)
• How will the data be transferred from and then removed from a temporary storage location?

Example answer: 

All research data will be stored via a Microsoft SharePoint folder that integrates with a Microsoft Teams channel for the research project. Microsoft SharePoint creates a centralised storage location that is not tied to individual researchers' accounts, providing resiliency to staff and IT uncertainty. These Microsoft SharePoint folders automatically backup data and can only be accessed by people with verified security credentials who are invited into the Teams channel. 

All files created using the research teams' computers will be created directly within the SharePoint folder (specifically, the text files and spreadsheet files).

Unfortunately, this will not be the case for video, audio, and image files. These files will be captured using the following means, with the described transference process.

Video

Videos are saved directly within the interviewer's Microsoft OneDrive storage via Microsoft Teams calls recording functionality. The files will be immediately moved to the Microsoft SharePoint folder and deleted from the interviewer's Microsoft OneDrive storage.

Audio

Audio is captured by the interviewer's digital voice recorder's SD card. The files will be immediately moved to the Microsoft SharePoint folder and deleted from the interviewer's SD card.

Images

Images are captured by the participants' smart phone devices. Participants are instructed to send all photographs to the research team via email immediately after capturing their 15th (and final) image, and to delete all 15 images from their device. The files will be immediately downloaded from email, and then moved to the Microsoft SharePoint folder and then deleted from the email inbox and the researcher's download folder.

Question: How will you share research data during the research project with colleagues and/or collaborators?

Considerations: 

• Is actively sharing research data necessary? (e.g. may not be necessary if all files are stored in shared workspace)
• If needed, what sharing options are chosen to transfer files? (e.g. sharing buttons in specific programs)
• How is sharing managed with different types of research partners?

Example answer: 

All research data will be stored via a Microsoft SharePoint folder that integrates with a Microsoft Teams channel for the research project. All researchers in the research team will have access to both the SharePoint folder and the Teams channel. This will allow a simple sharing of URLs between researchers during the research project via Microsoft SharePoint's URL-based functionality. 

Due to the research contract with our funder, we are required to present reports involving research data at meetings every two months. These meetings involve sharing the report in advance of the meeting as a Microsoft Word file, and then presenting a Microsoft PowerPoint file within a live call. 

A data sharing agreement has already been signed, and this agreement states that both teams will not present these reports or presentations to externals outside of their organisations, and that all data will be considered example data as the research team reserve the right to exclude datasets from analysis until the conclusion of the research study. 

Question: How will you manage backup of your research data during the research project?

Considerations:

• Whether storage systems have automatic file backup systems integrated by default? (e.g. cloud systems like Microsoft SharePoint)
• Full descriptions of any manual backup processes used, including archival and dating files.

Example answer: 

All research data will be stored via a Microsoft SharePoint folder that integrates with a Microsoft Teams channel for the research project. These Microsoft SharePoint folders automatically backup data and can only be accessed by people with verified security credentials who are invited into the Teams channel. 

Due to the research contract with our funder, we are required to manually backup spreadsheet files our team produces. This will be done by creating an 'archived' folder within the 'Spreadsheets' folder, and storing a time-specific copy of the spreadsheet file every two months within this (e.g. after two months from the beginning of the project the researchers will make a copy of the spreadsheet and call it 'EX-PRO_24-03-01_ppt-map.xls', storing it within 'archived'. This backup will be stored within Microsoft SharePoint with all other research data.