Data sharing and ethics

UKRIO research integrity webinar: data sharing and ethics, Wednesday 11 November 2020

This webinar discussed the complex issues – and practical solutions – concerning data sharing and ethics, below is the James Parry UKRIO, CEO introduction to the topic:

Speakers:

• • Kahryn Hughes and Anna Tarrant reflected on the ethical value of qualitative data preservation and archiving as part of a broader ethical temporal sensibility towards social research data and integrity. In conversation, they considered the re-use of qualitative data in the context of the ‘data turn’ and discussed examples of good practice in a current climate characterized by data protectionism. They also considered how social and qualitative researchers can achieve good practice by attending to questions of data integrity and legacy in the context of data preservation and archiving. Their slides can be found here and along with their presentation recording below:

• Louise Corti discussed some of the governance measures used to accredit the research projects and the researchers themselves. Ethics assessment plays a strong role here, as successful projects require a strong public good element, ethical conduct and realistic scope and methodological approach. The excellent new UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) Ethical self-assessment tool and supporting materials was highlighted. Louise also touched on reproducibility from research undertaken in safe havens. Access restrictions, as for the DEA data, mean that ‘reproducers’ also need to meet any access requirements. The UK Statistics Authority ‘Accredited Researcher’ model helps create a trusted network of researchers with the training and skills to both undertake analysis and check and rerun other’s code. Louise’s slides and presentation recording can be found here.