Guidelines for Research Data Storage
Enforcement: August 18, 2015
1. Purpose
These guidelines have been created to promote proper research activities
and to provide rules for the contents, storage periods, storage methods anddisclosure methods of research data to be stored and disclosed in accordancewith the determination of the President, who makes these determinations
based on Paragraph 3 of Article 3 of the “Regulations for Appropriate
Research Activities in National University Corporation Kyushu University(General Regulations for Employment of National University Corporation
Kyushu University No.14 of 2009).”
2. Records and Storage of Research Activities(1) When conducting research activities, including experiments andobservations, researchers must record their activities in a laboratory
notebook or similar media.
(2) The laboratory notebook must include sufficient information, including
items such as a record of operations during experiments and theconditions of data acquisition, so that they will be useful for future useand verification. They must also be recorded in a form that will not allow
future alteration.
(3) The laboratory notebook must be properly stored as the primary
information record of research activities.
(4) The laboratory notebook, numerical data, images, specimens and devices
that serve as evidence of papers, reports and research achievement
presentations (hereafter referred to as “research data and other items”)
must be stored properly so that they can be made available for future use
and verification. When storing them, make them easy to search byproviding items such as author name, date and attributions, and be sure tokeep them available for future research.
(5) Research data and other items must be stored and managed by theresearcher who created them in a responsible manner. Even after the
researcher’s transfer or retirement, they must be managed properly during
the period specified in these guidelines.
(6) Research Ethics Education Officer, along with a research representative,
must make efforts to educate researchers regarding proper storage andmanagement of research data and other items based on these guidelines aspart of their research ethics education.

3. Storage Period(1) For the research data and other items, the storage period of “materials,”
which include laboratory notebooks, numerical data and images, shall in
principle be 10 years after the publication of the concerned paper.
Electronic data must be stored in a reusable form, with the preparation of
searchable details such as author name, date and attributions, and backup
data must be prepared. Printed materials should be stored for at least 10years. However, if an unavoidable reason such as limitation of storage
space prohibits that, they may be disposed of within the extent covered byreasonable explanation.
(2) For the research data and other items, the storage period of “articles,”which include specimens (experiment specimens, samples) and devices,shall in principle be 5 years after the publication of the concerned paper.
However, this may not apply to items that cannot be stored or kept
because of their nature (such as unstable materials, or specimens
consumed during an experiment), or to those which would requiresignificant expenses to store (such as living specimens).
(3) These guidelines indicate only minimum storage periods. When a paper
includes internationally outstanding research achievements, or whenlonger-term storage is possible, the storage period can be extended asneeded regardless of the storage periods specified in these guidelines.
(4) For data which was not used as evidence for the publication of researchachievements, and is not scheduled to be used, a researcher, research
representative and department director shall decide on its storage period
as needed.
(5) Intentionally disposing of data without reasonable cause before thetermination of the storage period specified in these guidelines could beconsidered an illegal act.
4. Handling after Retirement or Transfer
A research representative must check with the concerned researcher toconfirm the details of the data to be stored, such as the title of the concerned
paper, the storage place for the research data and communication methods
for future contact when the researcher is transferred or retired, and muststore these details properly and ensure their traceability. In addition, theresearch representative must be sure that the research data has been backed
up as needed. In case of the transfer or retirement of a research representative,
a department director shall handle the matter in accordance with theseguidelines.

5. Disclosure
Each researcher and research representative must, upon request, explain
the appropriateness of the research activities for certain researchachievements that are presented in the form of papers with scientific grounds,
and must disclose research data and other items as needed. They shall bear
this responsibility even after transfer or retirement.
6. Handling at Each Department
Handling shall be specified at each department in accordance with theseguidelines. In doing so, due attention shall be paid to the characteristics ofthe relevant research field, opinions of the research community and theconditions of each department.
7. Other items
If specific regulations are indicated by laws covering the handling andstorage periods of personal data, research data and other items, theseregulations shall be observed. In addition, if there is a special agreementwith a fund-allocating organization concerning the deliverables of a certain
research project, this agreement shall be complied with.
However, if the storage period specified by laws or agreements is shorter
than that specified in these guidelines, these guidelines shall takeprecedence and must be observed.
8. Enforcement
These guidelines shall come into force on August 18, 2015.