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General Information
What is DataSAR?
- DataSAR is a repository of data sharing agreements, hosted by Drexel University’s Metadata Research Center.
Who uses DataSAR?
- DataSAR is intended for use by researchers, data providers, and other stakeholders seeking to standardize and facilitate the data sharing process and support FAIR data sharing.
What is a data sharing agreement?
- A “data sharing agreement” specifies data sharing and usage among two or more parties. The DataSAR collection contains specifications with alternative labels, such as data use agreement, contract, or MOU (memo of understanding). DataSAR uses the phrase “data sharing agreement” as the umbrella term for these variants.
Submitting Agreements
What types of agreements does DataSAR accept?
- DataSAR accepts all data sharing agreements that may be freely distributed and used under The Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. DataSAR also accepts data sharing agreements found on the open web, under the condition that the individual/organization submitting the agreement selects the following rightstatements.org statement: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/ indicating copyright not evaluated.
When should I submit my agreement?
- You may submit your agreement at any time.
Should I remove confidential information before submitting my agreement?
- DataSAR welcomes both templates and completed data sharing agreements. Organizational or personal identifiable information (PII), confidential, or otherwise sensitive information should be removed, unless all parties identified in the agreement indicate that the full and complete agreement text, including names, dates, and other potentially sensitive information can be made public.
Why does DataSAR use Creative Commons Zero and RightsStatements.org for the submission process?
- DataSAR is an open repository, and data sharing agreements in this collection will be freely accessible to all. DataSAR’s default submission license is Creative Commons Zero (CC0), a public domain dedication that specifies there is no copyright for the document. If you have found a data sharing agreement that was freely and openly available online, you may submit the data sharing agreement to DataSAR, but require that you specify that the copyright status for the data sharing agreement has not been evaluated. As a third party, you may provide the following rights statement from rightstatements.org in order to convey this information: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/
Can I modify or withdraw my submitted data sharing agreement?
- You may modify or remove your data sharing agreement at any time by contacting the DataSAR support team at DatsSAR@drexel.edu
Why should I submit my data sharing agreement?
- Sharing restricted data can be prohibitively difficult, encumbered by many months of negotiation between legal representatives for all parties involved. The result is highly individual agreements that cannot be reused. Additionally, agreements targeting restricted data can be ambiguous or unclear regarding the actual reuse, redistribution, and re-analysis of the shared data. Providing access to data sharing agreements involving industry, government, academia, and nonprofits can further the goal of standardizing the data sharing and licensing process.
In what file format(s) should I submit my agreements?
- DataSAR accepts the following formats for data sharing agreements: doc, docx, pdf, xml, txt, jpeg, bmp, jpg, tex, latex, wpd
How do I submit my data sharing agreement?
- You can submit your data sharing agreements through the external Google Form here.
Do I have the option to embargo the release of my agreement?
- DataSAR does not currently support an embargo option. This may be addressed in future releases
What happens to the agreement after it is submitted?
- After the agreement is submitted, the DataSAR team will add the agreement to the repository, with the specified information from the submission form.
Using Agreements
Who holds the copyright for these agreements?
- The default setting for submitted agreements is that no copyright has been claimed for these documents. For “found” agreements online, the copyright status has not been verified.
Do I have to pay to use the agreements?
- The DataSAR collection is free and open to the public.
How may DataSAR’s collection of data sharing agreements be used?
- DataSAR’s collection of data sharing agreements is primarily for research purposes. Researchers and other stakeholders seeking to gain an understanding of the data sharing process may study and assess this collection. The DataSAR collection may provide useful examples for developing a data sharing agreement. DataSAR does not rate the quality or success of the data sharing agreements collected at this time.