Provisional Translation

Guidelines for Research Data Preservation at Shimane University
Approved by theTrustee (academic research and industrialinnovation) on April/1/2020
1. Research Data Preservation Obligations
The purpose of these guidelines is to promote fair research activities by providing
guidelines regarding the content of preserved or disclosed research data, the retention
period, and preservation methods, (As specified under Chapter 3, Preservation andDisclosure of Research Data, of the Rules Regarding the Prevention of Research
Misconduct at the National University Corporation Shimane University, Rules ofShimane University No. 13 of 2015).
2. Research Data Preservation Obligations(1) In case there are doubts concerning research dishonesty following the publication ofresearch results presented in the form of a research paper or report by a researcher ofthis university, the researcher shall appropriately preserve the research data that form
the grounds of the published research discovery to allow for an investigation by athird party, if necessary.
(2) The research ethics administrator (‘Research ethics administrator’ as specified under
Article 4 of the Rules.) shall endeavor to maintain an environment that enables
research data to be appropriately stored and shall examine the state of preservation asnecessary.
(3) The person responsible for research ethics education (‘Person responsible for research
ethics education’ as specified under Article 5 of the Rules) shall provide guidance andeducation about the preservation of research data to the researchers belonging to therelevant department.
3. Persons Subject to Preservation Obligations / Retention Period / Preservation Methods(1) For research activities involving experiments and observations, the processes ofsuch activities shall be recorded in the form of, for example, laboratory notebooks.
A log of the procedures of the experiments and the data acquisition conditions,among other data, shall be recorded in the laboratory notebooks. This information
shall be available for perusal and verification at a later date, and this shall be secured
in a way that does not allow subsequent modifications. The laboratory notebooks
shall be stored as a primary information source record of the research activity.
(2) Research materials (documents, numerical data, images, etc.) that form the groundsof published research discovery, including research papers and reports, shall be
stored appropriately so that it may be used and verified at a later date. For images,
the history of changes, these data recorded is desirable.
The maintenance of meta-data as well as the guaranteeing of traceability andsearch ability to allow for referencing at a later date shall be taken into account withrespect to preservation. Moreover, when using materials for research that has
already been made publicly available, the individual researcher does not have topreserve the said materials.
(3) As a rule, the retention period of materials (documents, numerical data, images, etc.)
shall be ten years after the publication of the said research papers, etc.. Electronic
data shall be preserved in a form that allows it to be reused, through meta-data
reduction and management, and by preparing appropriate back-ups.

Provisional Translation

A storage period of at least ten years is also advisable for materials in printform. However, in case of any unavoidable circumstance giving rise to shortage ofstorage space, the print form data may be disposed of within reasonable limits.
(4) Objects such as samples (test samples, specimens) and equipment shall bepreserved for five years after the publication of the said research papers, etc..
However, this shall not apply to objects that can be easily reused, objects that are
difficult to store or keep, or objects for which storage would incur a significant
cost.
(5) These guidelines outline the minimum retention period, which may be extended as
the need arises.
4. Handling of Legal Regulations and Other Arrangements
Personal information, matters concerning the handling of such information that is
subject to legal regulations, and matters that require ethical considerations, shall be
subject to those regulations and guidelines. In addition, in the event of an arrangementwith a funding agency regarding the handling of results/products in relation to specificresearch projects, data obtained through collaborative research, and externally received
research data that are separately provided for under a contract etc., such agreements
shall be adhered to.
5. Researcher Transfer and Data Preservation / Management
In the event that the researcher moves due to a transfer or resignation, the person whotakes over the research of the said researcher shall take measures to backup and store
the data, or to determine its location to ensure its traceability. When there is nosuccessor, the department prior to the transfer of the researcher shall take the equivalentmeasures.
6. Research Data Preservation and Management Guide
The researcher shall appropriately manage their research data with reference to theattached ‘Shimane University Research Data Preservation and Management Guide(includes the Research Data Preservation and Management Records)’.
7. Other
These guidelines will be implemented from April/1/2020.