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Archbold Biological Station and the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center

DATA ACCESS POLICY

data funded by Archbold | data not funded by Archbold | data users agreement

DATA CLASSES
Internal Type 1. Internal Type 1 data are available to qualified scientific or educational interests that agree to cite the data and source appropriately, with restrictions as stipulated in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT. Some Internal Type 1 data (e.g. climatological data) will be www or ftp on-line and available for downloading. Prospective users are requested to (1) notify the Archbold staff person responsible for the dataset before downloading, identifying the data set and its intended use, (2) direct questions about the project or on-line materials to the designated staff person, and (3) notify the staff person of any publication plans (see Data Users Agreement). Internal Type 1 data sets include

Internal Type 1A. Monitoring data routinely collected by Archbold staff that are crucial to multiple research projects (e.g., climatological, hydrological and similar data). Internal Type 1A data will be made available as soon as possible after data collection and entry (either via the www, ftp site, network server, or directly from the staff member responsible) with few or no restrictions other than those stipulated in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT. These data will be maintained centrally in a designated Monitoring Folder on a network server. An annual brief summary analysis of each Internal Type 1A dataset collected during a calendar year must be submitted to the Archbold Data Manager, the Executive Director, or the Ranch Research Biologist by the responsible staff member prior to March 1st of the following year.

Internal Type 1B. Monitoring data collected by Archbold staff that are undergoing current data analyses (e.g. fire intensity mapping). Internal Type 1B data are available to other Archbold staff, although a clear strategy for joint publications should be agreed upon beforehand with the staff person responsible for data collection if they have made a significant contribution. Internal Type 1B data will also be made available to outside users upon written request to the Executive Director with some restrictions as stipulated in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT. These data will be maintained centrally in a designated Monitoring Folder on a network server. An annual brief summary of each Internal Type 1B dataset collected during a calendar year must be submitted to the Archbold Data Manager and the Executive Director or the Ranch Research Biologist by the responsible staff member prior to March 1st of the following year. 

See later for descriptions of Internal Type 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F data.

Internal Type 2. Internal Type 2 data are research data, available only with permission from the Archbold staff directing this research. All rights to control access to these data are retained by the staff member responsible for that particular data set. Staff includes full-time and part-time staff and interns. This is: 1) to ensure that the data being requested are appropriate for the purposes stated by the requesting investigator, and 2) to ensure that the staff have sufficient time to process, analyze, synthesize, and publish results obtained from these data. Individuals requesting use of Internal Type 2 data should provide the Archbold staff directing this research with a clear written request outlining what these data are to be used for, and any arrangements for co-authorship of publications.

Internal Type 2 data will be re-classified as either Internal Type 1C, Type 1D, Type 1E, or Type 1F) under four different circumstances outlined below.

Internal Type 1C. Scientific data collected by Archbold staff (and their collaborators) who have published the results, completed the project(s), and agreed to release the data for general use. When an Archbold staff member directing Internal Type 2 data determines that all planned publications have been obtained from the data then they will notify the Executive Director that a project has been completed and the data will be reclassified as Internal Type 1C. These data will be made available broadly by the investigators who directed this research either via the www, ftp site, or directly with few or no restrictions other than those stipulated in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT.

Internal Type 1D. Scientific data collected by an Archbold staff member which has no accepted publication stemming from these data for 7 years after the completion of data collection. These data will be made available to other Archbold staff or to appropriate visiting investigator(s)/outside investigator(s) upon request to the Executive Director, with restrictions as stipulated in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT. In the event that a more protracted period is needed before publication, a staff member may petition the Executive Director (or the Scientific Advisory Board) for a longer period before reclassification to Internal Type 1D.

Internal Type 1E. Scientific data collected by staff that have left Archbold employment. If, five years after a staff person has left Archbold, there are data without ongoing data collection and with no manuscript accepted for publication, then these data will be made available to other Archbold staff, or to visiting investigator(s)/outside investigator(s) upon request to the Executive Director. These data will be made available with restrictions as stipulated in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT. All staff leaving Archbold must archive copies of their Station or Ranch related data and metadata with the appropriate Lab Head, the Data Manager or the Librarian.

Internal Type 1F. Scientific data collected by staff that have died with no Co-PI continuing the work. If there are data that were collected by a deceased member of staff, with no publications accepted, then these data will be made available immediately to other Archbold staff, or to appropriate visiting investigator(s)/outside investigator(s) upon request to the Executive Director. These data will be made available with restrictions as stipulated in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT.

Archbold-related data collected from projects directly supported by Archbold and directed independently by interns, research volunteers, graduate students or research assistants are shared proprietorship with the relevant Lab Head. Data and metadata from these projects are to be archived with the relevant Lab Head before leaving the Station and Ranch. If there are no forthcoming publications after 5 years, these data come under the direct management of the relevant Lab Head, although authorship and/or acknowledgements on subsequent publications must reflect the contributions of interns, volunteers, graduate students, and research assistants.

Data collected at the Station or the Ranch but not funded by Archbold

Data collected at Archbold (Station/Ranch) by visiting investigators (including graduate students), agency staff, or Archbold staff funded by external sources. All visiting investigators, graduate students and agency staff using Archbold (Station/Ranch) must complete metadata forms for their projects. Metadata for all projects conducted at Archbold will be posted on the Archbold web site with the project data type noted.

External Type 1. External Type 1 data are those collected by state and federal agencies (public domain) at the Station/Ranch. In return for providing facilities for hosting data collection Archbold requires these data will be made available to Archbold as soon as data entry and quality assurance/quality control have been completed. Our preference is to link to an established web site posting these data. Archbold also requires these data will be available to other Archbold users with no restrictions other than those stipulated in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT.

External Type 2A. Data collected by Archbold staff, but paid for by state and federal agencies, are regarded as External Type 2A data, with shared proprietorship with Archbold. Access to these data must, at a minimum, follow the policies for data access of the funding agency and must be made available to Archbold staff, visiting investigator(s)/outside investigator(s) as soon as publicly released by the funding agency. If the agency has no data access policy these data will be treated with access as for Internal Type 2 data. Archbold will make these data available to other users with restrictions as stipulated by the funding agency and in the DATA USERS AGREEMENT.

External Type 2A data will be reclassified as Type 1 (either Type 1C, Type 1D, Type 1E, or Type 1F) under the same four different circumstances outlined previously, on condition this does not conflict with the funding agencies policies and guidelines, which take precedence.

External Type 2B. Data collected by visiting investigator(s) at the Station or the Ranch and not funded directly by Archbold.

1. Applications for new projects by visiting investigator(s) (web-based application form) must be reviewed by the Executive Director and the Lab Heads. Prospective researchers must agree to Archbold policies for submission of metadata and documents.
2. Before work on a new project begins, the visiting investigator(s) must submit a project overview and initial metadata (a description of the proposed work) on the web-based entry form for the Archbold Research Catalog. A project code will be assigned at this time, and entries created in the Research Catalog.
3. Metadata files for projects conducted by the visiting investigator(s) must be completed in the proper format within 1 year of initial data collection and will be posted on the Archbold web site. Brief summaries of yearly activities for current projects will be requested annually and updates must be submitted if requested.
4. Visiting investigators with outside funding that stipulates data collected are public domain are encouraged to make these data available via Archbold, and to archive these data at Archbold.
5. All visiting investigators conducting research at Archbold are required to submit relevant documents to the Librarian within one year of completion, for cataloging and inclusion in the Archbold archives. Such documents should include copies of funded proposals, publications, and technical reports.
6. If requested by a Lab Head, visiting investigators may be strongly encouraged to deposit samples (or duplicates of samples) in Archbold collections (e.g. tree cores, specimens), or in other reputable and accessible collections. Lab Heads may also encourage visiting investigators with data of broad value to Archbold to archive field notes, maps, and analyses for completed projects with the Librarian.
7. Graduate students conducting independent research at Archbold must also provide the Library with a copy of their thesis immediately on completion and copies of all subsequent publications and reports stemming from their graduate work at the Station or Ranch.
8. Archbold urges visiting investigators with previously completed non-Archbold funded projects conducted at the Station or Ranch to provide at least their metadata, any relevant documents (including copies of funded proposals, publications, and published reports) and samples, if appropriate, to Archbold.

DATA USERS AGREEMENT

Except by permission of the Executive Director, release of data is limited to individuals and institutions engaged in bona fide scientific research or education, and must properly acknowledge the contribution made by Archbold. All requests for, and subsequent use of, data residing at Archbold must be accompanied by completion of the DATA USERS AGREEMENT. Users include Archbold staff, visiting investigators and outside investigators. Archbold retains all rights to released data that were funded by Archbold. By downloading or using data collected under the auspices of the Archbold, the user agrees to the following responsibilities:

1. All potential users will notify the Archbold staff person responsible before using an Internal Type 1 data set. The user will provide accurate and complete information to the Archbold staff member responsible for the data set of interest, identifying the data requested and describing briefly the intended use. Archbold will provide a form (will be www-based) for this purpose.
2. The user will notify the staff person of any publication plans for use of an Internal Type 1 dataset. If the staff person feels they should be acknowledged or offered participation as authors, they will let the user know. We assume that a cordial agreement on such matters will be reached prior to publishing the data. Users should anticipate that significant use of data classified as Internal Type 1D, 1E, 1F will typically require a commitment from the user to add the individual(s) responsible for the original data collection as co-authors onto any subsequent publications.
3. All users requesting access to Internal Type 2 data must contact the staff member responsible directly and this staff person’s decisions about access to these data will apply (as well as data user policies D-H).
4. The user will direct questions regarding methods, the interpretation of data or metadata, or the status of an ongoing project to the designated staff member (or external agency).
5. The user will provide any manuscript for courtesy review by the Archbold staff member responsible for the data at least 30 days before submitting it for publication
6. The user will provide two copies of any publication (journal articles, papers or reports) or one copy of any book or thesis, that draws upon Archbold data to the following address: Librarian (Fred Lohrer), Archbold Biological Station, PO Box 2057, Lake Placid FL 33862.
7. Archbold and its staff disclaim any responsibility for errors that exist within data. The user assumes all responsibility for errors in analysis or judgment associated with online data, electronic data, or printed data obtained from Archbold.
8. Citations. The suggested form for citing each dataset is provided in the metadata form for each dataset and should be used in all scientific publications. Acknowledgements for use of datasets should refer to either data collected by Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid FL or the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center, Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid, FL. investigators using datasets from the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center should refer to guidelines for Contributions from the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center (see http://www.archbold-station.org/abs/maerc/maerccontrib.htm) which is maintained and coordinated by the Station Librarian. All scientific publications by Staff and visitors are eligible. Any manuscript submitted for publication in a scientific journal that uses MAERC data please insert the phrase, "This is Contribution No. XX from the John D. MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center of Archbold Biological Station," at the end of the Acknowledgments. When the galleys are proof-read, contact the Librarian or Ranch Biologist for the number assigned to your publication.
9. A fee, covering reasonable costs (e.g. Xeroxing, pressing CDs, staff time) entailed in the distribution of data, may be assessed.
10. The user agrees not to sell or distribute data provided by Archbold
11. Violation of any of the terms of the Data User's Agreement may result in loss of future access privileges to data collected by researchers associated with Archbold or loss of access to Archbold facilities.

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