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Glossary of terms

Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research: A principles-based document that articulates the broad principles and responsibilities that underpin the conduct of Australian research.

Australian Data Archive (ADA): Was established at The Australian National University (The ANU) in 1981 to provide a national service for the collection and preservation of computer readable data relating to social, political and economic affairs and to make these data available for further analysis. It was formerly called the Social Science Data Archive. 

Australian Research Council (ARC): Is a Commonwealth entity within the Australian Government. It was established as an independent body under the Australian Research Council Act 2001. The ARC reports to an Australian Government Minister, currently the Minister for Education.

Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC): The ARDC is Australia's leading research data facility . . . ARDC partners with the research community and industry to build leading-edge digital research infrastructure to provide Australian researchers with competitive advantage through data. 

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Data Archive (ATSIDA): A specialised trusted RDM facility for Australian Aboriginal research data managed by UTS (University of Technology Sydney) Library.

CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance: Collective benefit Authority to control Responsibility Ethics. The Principles guide appropriate use and reuse of Indigenous data. This set of principles indicates the significant and crucial role of data in advancing Indigenous innovation and self-determination.

Collection (UniSA): A grouping of datasets that has meaning in a research context and facilitates the discoverability and reuse of these datasets by other researchers.

Data Access Portal (DAP) (UniSA): Research portal designed to showcase a range of open access research projects, collections, datasets and related publications developed or collected by the University of South Australia. The portal can be searched by researcher name, organisation, discipline and keyword.

Data citation: The creation of a reference to data in the same way a bibliographic reference would be provided for other outputs such as journal articles, reports and conference papers. - Australian Research Data Commons

Data journals (UniSA): Journals featuring short data articles that describe data sets and link to full data in repositories. They make it easier for researchers to publish their data and make it accessible.

Data Management Plan: Describes how research data will be managed throughout a research project. Creating a plan ensures data generated from the project are well managed and able to be reused efficiently. - Australian Research Data Commons

Data Management Planning System (DMPS) (UniSA): Data Management Planning System created by the Research and Data Management Support Team of Information Strategy and Technology Services.

Dataset (UniSA): A set of structured data that is an input to, or an output of research. This can be physical or digital and may include scientific observations, remote sensing data, survey transcripts, photographs, software, etc.

De-identification (UniSA): Aims to allow data to be used by others without the possibility of individuals being identified. It may be used to protect the privacy of individuals and organisations, or ensure that the spatial location of mineral or archaeological findings or endangered species is not publicly available.

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs): Provide a persistent point of access for information or data. Unlike URLs, which can change, or disappear, a DOI stays with information or data at all times. - DOI Foundation

Digital Preservation Coalition: An international organisation based in the UK dedicated to assist members in the use and access of digital materials beyond the limits of technical obsolescence, media degradation and organisational change.

FAIR data principles: Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable. Making research data FAIR provides a range of benefits to researchers, research communities, research infrastructure facilities and research organisations alike.

License (UniSA): Allows users to know exactly how they can use your data. Licence attributes and types are listed on the Australian Research Data Commons website

Mediated access (UniSA): Data is discoverable but access is facilitated (mediated) through a custodian.

Metadata: Information about an object or resource that describes characteristics such as content, quality, format, location and contact information. - Australian Research Data Commons

MyDMP (UniSA): The tool students and staff can use to create their own data management plan/s. MyDMP also allows researchers to self-deposit metadata (descriptive information) about project/s not already in the University's research system (MyResearch Management).

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC): Is Australia's leading expert body in health and medical research. Previously known as the Federal Health Council, the NHMRC became an independent statutory agency within the portfolio of the Australian Government Minister for Health and Ageing, operating under the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 (NHMRC Act) on 1 July 2006.

No licence: All rights reserved. No reuse permitted. - Australian Research Data Commons

Open access (UniSA): Data is easily discoverable, fully accessible and immediately downloadable.

Open licence: Reuse is freely permitted with only a requirement for attribution or that similar licensing is retained. - Australian Research Data Commons

Project (UniSA): A specific research activity with a start and end date and defined objectives resulting in the collection or creation of data. This may be a funded or non-funded research project, undertaken either by a researcher or by a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidate.

RDM (UniSA): Commonly used abbreviation for the phrase Research Data Management.

Research data: Any information that has been collected, observed, generated or created to validate original research findings. Research data may be arranged or formatted in such a way to make it suitable for communication, interpretation and processing. Data comes in many formats, both digital and physical. - University of Leeds

Research Data Australia: A national online portal for finding research data and associated projects, researchers and data services.

Restricted access (UniSA): Data is not discoverable or accessible to others.

Restrictive licence: Some form of limiting or restrictive condition applies. May apply to personal or confidential information. - Australian Research Data Commons

Sensitive data: Data that can be used to identify individuals, places of importance, objects or species that could cause discrimination or harm. - Australian Research Data Commons

Universities Australia: Was establisted on 22 May 2007 as the peak body for the university sector and is a successor to the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee which was founded in May 1920.

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Image attributions - Research Data Management guide