The following form a framework for best practices in the management of research data and help to inform the learning and infrastructural supports at UBC to enable robust, ethical, and transparent research that contributes to a larger body of work.
FAIR
FAIR principles assert that research data should be made Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.
UBC Library strives to ensure that all research data produced at UBC can be deposited somewhere that allows it to be found (the data metadata records are fed into discovery layers), to be accessed (the data and/or metadata can be located and downloaded), and articulate how they may or may not be reused (the data are supported by documentation that clearly articulates how they may be used and/or reused).
Researchers should organize their data in such a way as to ensure it is interoperable—that is, the data behave the same, or as expected, in different environments. This is sometimes referred to as being machine and human readable paired with using non-proprietary standards; if you change the person, the computer, and/or the software, the data should still make sense and be usable.
CARE
CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance stands for Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics.
The CARE Principles were developed to address how “existing principles within the open data movement (e.g. FAIR: findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) primarily focus on characteristics of data that will facilitate increased data sharing among entities while ignoring power differentials and historical contexts. The emphasis on greater data sharing alone creates a tension for Indigenous Peoples who are also asserting greater control over the application and use of Indigenous data and Indigenous Knowledge for collective benefit.”
Importantly, “these principles complement the existing FAIR principles encouraging open and other data movements to consider both people and purpose in their advocacy and pursuits.”
OCAP®
The First Nations Principles of OCAP® stands for Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession. Produced by the First Nations Information Governance Centre, when followed, these principles “assert that First Nations have control over data collection processes, and that they own and control how this information can be used.” As the First Nations Information Governance Centre articulates, “If you work with First Nations, consider how you interact with First Nations data.”
OCAP® principles are generally accepted in contexts involving First Nations people, lands, and knowledge in Canada but may not be inclusive of Inuit, Métis or other Indigenous Peoples’ data sovereignty.
DRIPA
British Columbia's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA, 2019), established the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as the Province’s framework for reconciliation.
The responsible and ethical collection, management, distribution and re-use of data is captured in Article 31 of DRIPA, which recognizes the rights of Indigenous peoples to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures. Research data may include or be part of these facets and must be protected.