Does the UK Data Archive ensure that ethical guidelines were followed by researchers for the collection of data that are archived by the Archive?
The Archive assesses data that are offered for archiving for potential confidential, sensitive or personal information. We also seek information on whether or not researchers have obtained consent for data sharing. Where we have concerns, we discuss with depositors options such as further anonymisation of data or renegotiating consent – where this is not possible, data may be rejected from the collection. In this way, we ensure the ethical re-use of its archived data. Note, however, that the Archive is not an ethics review committee – it focuses only on the ethics of data sharing. In addition, we advise researchers on issues of informed consent, anonymisation and research ethics and encourages researchers to adhere to appropriate ethical guidelines when collecting data.
Related Questions
- How are the rights of the original copyright holder protected when data archived at the UK Data Archive are re-used by other researchers?
- Are there alternatives to standard access to research data held at the UK Data Archive, in the case of confidential data?
- What service does the UK Data Archive provide?
