Data Retention and Deaccession Policy

1.0 Scope & Purpose

This policy covers the retention, preservation, and deaccessioning of Content submitted to the Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR) website (the Site), https://www.frdr-dfdr.ca/, and the services available on or at the Site (taken together, the Service). This policy should be consulted in accordance with the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, the Glossary of Terms, and any other relevant policies.

2.0 Data Retention

The Service assumes responsibility for providing a secure place for eligible Submitters, as defined by the Data Submission Policy, to deposit research data, including associated metadata and documentation (hereafter: Content), for discovery and accessibility for re-use.

This responsibility includes the provision of digital means to preserve and ensure ongoing access to said Content on a best-effort basis for a minimum period of ten years after deposit, pending continued funding and service availability. In the unlikely event of discontinued service, Content will be transferred to another appropriate storage facility on a best-effort basis.

3.0 Preservation

All Content accepted into the repository is validated by checksums upon receipt, undergoes bit-level preservation through fixity checks, and is securely backed-up in geographically distributed storage locations. Content deemed to have long-term research value may undergo appraisal and be selected for preservation processing with the intent to prepare the data for ongoing archival storage once the dataset is no longer active in the repository.

4.0 Dataset Deaccession

The Service reserves the right to deaccession Content for reasons including:

• Intellectual property rights
• Legal requirements and proven violations
• National security
• Research integrity
• Privacy/confidentiality/ethical concerns

Once published to the Service, Submitters may no longer edit, alter, augment, or remove Content, except at the discretion of a Curator. Deaccessioning within the retention period should only occur if there is a legal or other valid reason for the dataset to no longer be accessible to the public and must be approved by a Curator (as outlined in the Terms of Use).

Should Content be removed for any of the reasons stated above, the Service reserves the right to retain the citation metadata record in the repository. A tombstone landing page with the basic citation metadata and withdrawal statement will be accessible to the public via the DOI provided in the citation for that Content. Users will not be able to view any of the files or additional metadata that were previously available prior to deaccession; however, the citation metadata of withdrawn Content will be searchable. Should content be removed for legal or ethical reasons, the withdrawal statement will withhold any information which may contribute to the potential risk or harm created by the disclosure.

5.0 Implementation and Revision

This Policy enters into force on the date of its adoption. It will be reviewed by the FRDR Steering Committee every two years or at any time, as required.

Last Revised: 2020-12-11