Saint Mary's University (SMU) is home to a diverse and thriving research culture. Our research activities span a wide range of disciplines and topics within the Social Sciences and Humanities, Natural Sciences and Engineering, Occupational Health and Safety, and Finance and Management. The University is dedicated to a broad spectrum of theoretical and fundamental research endeavours, but also engages in research initiatives that establish connections with communities outside of our campus. These communities encompass provincial government entities, business and industrial associations, not-for-profit and international agencies and organizations.

The University is committed to responsible, safe, and secure research data management practices. Following the adoption of the Tri-Agency's research data management (RDM) policy in March 2021, it is mandatory for every post-secondary institution and research hospital eligible to administer Tri-Agency funds to create and publicly share the RDM strategy and notify the agencies when completed.  Saint Mary's University is bound to fulfill these requirements and support its researchers in implementing these practices. The University aims to equip researchers with the best support for project planning, guidelines, policies, and infrastructure to promote research excellence across the institution. In response to the release of the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy (2021)[1], the University worked closely with the Patrick Power Library, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, the Office of Innovation and Community Engagement, the SMU Research Ethics Board, the SMU Enterprise Information Technology, faculty researchers and staff to develop the Institutional RDM Strategy.

[1] Government of Canada (2021). Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy. Retrieved from http://www.science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_97610.html 

1. Data Lifecycle- refers to all the stages in the existence of data from creation to destruction. The data lifecycle provides a high-level overview of the stages involved in successfully managing and preserving data for use and reuse. This broadly includes the following stages: Plan, Create, Process, Analyze, Disseminate, Preserve and Reuse.[2]
   
   
2. Research Data- Data used as primary sources to support technical or scientific enquiry, research, scholarship, or artistic activity and used as evidence in the research process and/or commonly accepted in the research community as necessary to validate research findings and results. All other digital and non-digital content have the potential to become research data. Research data may be experimental data, observational data, operational data, third-party data, public sector data, monitoring data, processed data, or repurposed data.[3]
   
   
3. Indigenous data sovereignty – refers to the right of Indigenous peoples to control data from and about their communities and lands, articulating both individual and collective rights to data access and to privacy.[4]
   
   
4. Research Data Management (RDM)- The storage of, access to and preservation of data produced from one or more investigations or a program of research. Research data management practices cover the entire data lifecycle, from planning the investigation to conducting it and backing up data as it is created and used to preserve data for the long term after the research has concluded. It also includes data-sharing, where applicable. [5]
   
   
5. Data Management Plan (DMP)- A data management plan is a living document, typically associated with an individual research project or program, that consists of the practices, processes and strategies that pertain to a set of specified topics related to data management and curation. DMPs should be modified throughout the course of a research project to reflect changes in project design, methods, or other considerations. DMPs guide researchers in articulating their plans for managing data; they do not necessarily compel researchers to manage data.[6]
   
   
6. Data Management Plan (DMP)- A data management plan is a living document, typically associated with an individual research project or program, that consists of the practices, processes and strategies that pertain to a set of specified topics related to data management and curation. DMPs should be modified throughout the course of a research project to reflect changes in project design, methods, or other considerations. DMPs guide researchers in articulating their plans for managing data; they do not necessarily compel researchers to manage data differently. [7]
   
   
7. FAIR: A set of principles to improve the findability, accessibility, interoperability and re-use of research data.
   
   
8. CARE: A set of principles for advancing Indigenous innovation and self-determination through collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility and ethics.
   
   
9. OCAP®: A set of principles specific to First Nations data sovereignty defining ownership, control, access and possession.
   
   
10. TCPS2: The Tri-Agencies policy statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.

[1] Government of Canada (2021). Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, Frequently Asked Questions.

[2] Adapted from: CASRAI Definition of Data Lifecycle & Alliance-Portage

[3] Government of Canada (2021). Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, Frequently Asked Questions.

[4] Raine, S. C., Kukutai, T., Walter, M., Figueroa-Rodrigues, O. L., Walker, J., & Axelsson, P. (2019). Indigenous data sovereignty. In The State of Open Data (p. 300). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2677801

[5] Government of Canada (2021). Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Definition of Terms.

The Institutional RDM Strategy applies to all researchers at SMU, including students, staff, and faculty across research disciplines engaged in research.

The Institutional RDM Strategy is a living document that aims to promote the implementation of responsible research data management practices[8]. It also seeks to systematically identify and address gaps and challenges in RDM-related infrastructure and practices that will better support researchers and research staff.

[8] Government of Canada (2022). Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2022). Retrieved from https://ethics.gc.ca/eng/tcps2-eptc2_2022_chapter5-chapitre5.html

Saint Mary's University acknowledges the profound tension between western and Indigenous ways of knowing. The University respects and recognizes the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples, Nations and communities over research data collected and produced by and with Indigenous researchers and communities. Indigenous peoples and communities have the right to control data from and about them.

According to the Tri-Agency, "data related to research by and with the First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit whose traditional and ancestral territories are in Canada must be managed in accordance with data management principles developed and approved by these communities, and on the basis of free, prior and informed consent." Saint Mary's University respects and understands that each Indigenous Nation and community will have different requirements regarding research data generated through partnerships. We honour different data management models, such as the First Nations Information Governance Centre's OCAP^® Principles, and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance's CARE Principles. We are committed to upholding and respecting Indigenous data sovereignty principles in all facets of our research activities.

The Associate Vice-President, Research and Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGSR) is responsible for developing and reviewing the Institutional RDM Strategy and implementing responsible research data management policies and processes.

The FGSR has formed the RDM Strategy Committee comprising members from FGSR, the SMU Patrick Power Library, the OICE, the SMU REB, the SMU ACC, the SMU EIT, and faculty researchers. The SMU Patrick Power Library is the coordinating department for RDM support services, while the other members were consulted in developing the strategy. The FGSR is committed to involving other university departments in implementing RDM practices and recognizing their value and integral role in the process. We will engage additional representatives from the SMU research community as needed.

Internal Policies and Processes

• SMU Grants and Research Policies
• SMU Research Ethics Board
• SMU Animal Care Committee

External Policies and Processes

• Bill C-15: An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Government of Canada
• CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, Global Indigenous Data Alliance
• CIHR Research Data Management Learning Module, Government of Canada
• National Inuit Strategy on Research, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
• Principles of Ethical Métis Research, National Aboriginal Health Organization Métis Centre
• SSHRC Research Data Archiving Policy, Government of Canada
• The First Nations Principles of OCAP, First Nations Information Governance Centre
• Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2), Government of Canada
• Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2) Chapter 9, Government of Canada
• Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research, Government of Canada
• Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, Government of Canada
• Tri-Agency Statement of Principles on Digital Data Management, Government of Canada

Here are some helpful RDM-related resources:

Data management in action – Community Research Data Toolkit

SAS_A Media Guide for Scientists_Before the Interview

DMP Assistant