UCL Research Data Policy 2024

At UCL, data are defined as facts, observations or experiences on which an argument or theory is constructed or tested. Data may be numerical, descriptive, aural or visual. Data may be raw, abstracted or analysed, experimental or observational. Research Data Management (RDM) covers the decisions made and actions taken across the research data lifecycle to handle the outputs of research projects. The research data lifecycle has four phases: 1) planning and preparing; 2) active research; 3) archiving, preserving, and curating; and 4) discovery, access, and sharing.

Harnessing the advantages of an open working environment serves to disseminate research findings more quickly and facilitates even greater collaboration. RDM is an essential enabler of Open Science and Scholarship - the practice of making research outputs and the research process available to as wide an audience as possible across the research data lifecycle.

The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework defining the responsibilities of UCL staff and research students in managing their data. This in turn will facilitate the maintenance and preservation of research data, making them available to the widest possible audience for the highest possible impact.

This policy is intended to ensure that research data created as part of the research process are FAIR - Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. Further, managing research outputs in-line with best practice gives rise to opportunities relating to enhanced research integrity with a view to having greater transparency of the research process and potential for reproducible research.