To avoid data loss, and to retain information held in earlier versions you should:
A backup policy provides specific guidance on data backup decisions and restore processes. This policy promotes consistency and ensures a successful recovery of data from a backup copy if data loss does occur.
These copies should be in geographically dispersed areas. Place one copy at an "off-site" and trusted location such as a commercial storage facility, campus server, or cloud-based server.
Consider external USB drives, campus servers, or managed cloud-based servers. Avoid use of light-weight devices, like floppy disks and USB stick-drives. Additionally, you should avoid backups on optical media, like CDs and DVDs, as they have been shown to degrade over time.
Sporadic backups may result in inadvertent data loss if a disaster were to occur. Be sure your files are backed up regularly to avoid major data loss. Make sure to backup your data when you complete your data collection activity and when you make any edits to your data.
Source: Adapted from DataONE Best Practices
There are a variety of data storage options available to you depending on your needs and resources.
Local storage options allow for personalized control and everyday access. However, management and backups are the research team's responsibility.
These storage options are stored and managed on remote servers and are regularly backed-up. There are a variety of options with different prices and storage capacities depending on your needs.
Source: Adapted from UCLA Libraries
Academic research can often involve handling of sensitive data, which may include information about human subjects, endangered species, or protected areas. In order to ensure security, your research team should follow physical security, computer files and systems security, and network security.
Source: Adapted from Georgia Tech
It is vital to maintain the confidentiality of research subjects for ethical reasons and to ensure their continuing participation.
Source: Adapted from UCLA Libraries
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