An introduction to licensing data for research

Gerry Ryder ANDS Seminar, Perth, May 21, 2015

About ANDS Licences for data:

•what are they?

•why should I care?

•how do I get one?

•what should I apply a licence to?

Licensing and ‘open’ dataReusing licensed data

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Overview

Image: http://andrew-johnson.org

WHAT’S NEW?

3ands.org.au

Data in the form of facts, observations, images, computer program results, recordings, measurements or experiences on which an argument, theory, test or hypothesis, or another research output is based. Data may be numerical, descriptive, visual or tactile. It may be raw, cleaned or processed, and may be held in any format or media.

Source: QUT data management policy

What data are we talking about?

Data that is an input to, or output of, research.

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What is a data licence?

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Why do we care about data licensing?

Policy

GlobalFundingCollaborations

PublishingVeracity

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Research funders

Released 16/4/15

http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants-funding/policy/nhmrc-statement-data-sharing

Research funders

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Publisher policies

16http://www.nature.com/scientificdata/

Licensing and ‘open data’What is open data? Many definitions, but broadly:

• freely available to download in a reusable form

• licensed with minimal restrictions to reuse

• well described with provenance and reuse information provided

• available in convenient, modifiable and open formats

• managed by the provider on an ongoing basis

Data reuse and the ‘Open Data’ citation advantage

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The citation benefit intensified over time... ...with publications from 2004 and 2005 cited

30 per cent more often if their data was freely available.

Every 100 papers with open data prompted 150 "data reuse papers" within five years

Original authors tended to use their data for only two years, but others re-used it for up to six years.

Piwowar HA, Vision TJ. (2013) Data reuse and the open data citation advantage. PeerJ 1:e175 http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.175

But why licence data I share?

• Take control of your data assets! Be clear about who may reuse your data and for what purpose

• Where no licence is applied, uncertainty may lead to inappropriate use or no reuse

• Ensure you get the attribution you deserve. With imperatives to share and publish data, a scholarly culture of data citation is emerging.

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OK, what do I need to do?To apply a license to data you must:

• Have the rights to do so

• Determine the most appropriate licence for the data > AusGOAL

• Then it’s as simple at applying the marking (image) and licenceinformation so that its visible on the document or attached to the data.

Consult with data management, business development, IP or Legal staff at your institution.

Image: www.empowernet.com.au

What should I apply a licence to?

A licence should be applied to:

• Data (or software) you have rights in

• That you plan to share or publish

image:www.wnylrc.org

Reusing data

Data WITH a licenceYour use of third party data will be governed by its licence and terms. The terms will affect how it can be reused by you and others. They will also affect whether or not you can make data available to anyone else at the end of your project.

Data WITHOUT a licenceIn general terms, the absence of a licence implies all rights reserved. Where possible, contact the data owner to negotiate an appropriate licence.

Image: www.alcove9.com

When reusing data, cite it in your reference list

Smith, J.M., Jones, A.B. (2014) Water quality measurements at four sites in the Perth metropolitan area, 2012-2013. The University of Western Australia. http://dx.doi.123.4546.00

Remember ….

Useful resources

AusGOAL: http://www.ausgoal.gov.au/

ANDS Guide: http://www.ands.org.au/publishing/licensing.html

Australian Govt Open Data Toolkit: https://toolkit.data.gov.au/

Thank you and questions

Gerry Ryder