Module 2: Using and Sharing Research Outputs within a Multi-Layered Rules Framework

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Learning Objectives

• Learning Objective 1 (LO1): Identify potential opportunities and obligations related to the use and sharing of data and other research outputs in adherence to FAIR principles.

Total Module Duration

1.5 hours

Learning Objective 1

LO1: Identify potential opportunities and obligations related to the use and sharing of data and other research outputs in adherence to FAIR principles.

Learning Activities

• Slide presentation/lecture (45–60mins): The goal of the lecture is to give data stewards an overview of issues within a multi-layered rules framework, such as licensing of research outputs, publication policies of journals, potential effects of publishing research output, and adjudicating between different licences. The instructor can consult or reuse slides prepared as part of Resource 9, a more in-depth learning path on open licensing.
• Discussion Activity (30 mins): In pairs, learners should reflect on the following scenario: A researcher approaches the data steward with a research article and related dataset that they would like to share in a journal. What advice could you give them on the following points:
  • Why they should share and license their data.
  • What different licence types are available and the implications of each.
  • The benefits (or not) of using open licences.
  • Resource 1 can be used as a guiding document to discuss the importance of licences and how to choose them. The Creative Commons License Chooser (Resource 4) can also be used as a tool for this exercise.

Materials to Prepare

• Slide presentation on overview of sharing data and licensing.
• Questions and prompts to guide the discussion activity (some examples provided in Instructor Notes).

Instructor Notes

Content Overview for presentation/lecture:

• The purpose and main approaches towards protection of research outputs
• Main rules affecting the licensing of research outputs, including national copyright laws, internal rules and policies at the level of the organisation
• The societal significance of ensuring FAIR publication
• Considerations for licence compatibility in Open Licensing
• When Open Access is mandatory: Discussing the example of Horizon projects
• The limits of openness: when to consider opting out from Text and Data Mining under the Copyright and Digital Single Market (CDSM) Directive

Discussion activity:

• What questions or additional information might a data steward need to give tailored advice on these topics? This should be emphasised as something for learners to consider as they begin the activity. Some of these could be:
  • What are the requirements of the journal?
  • What are the policies in their home institutions?
  • What kind of data (personal data, sensitive data, dual use, and so on) is in the dataset and how would that impact the licences being applied?
  • What is the goal of the researcher in sharing their data? How do they envision it being reused?
  • When should data not be shared?

Additional materials:

• A more detailed (intermediate level) learning path on Open Licensing intended for Data Stewards and Data Professionals has also been developed in the Skills4EOSC project, and if instructors choose, they can use either parts or all of this material to go into more depth or point learners towards additional resources. It covers issues such as adapting content to local contexts, applying licences throughout projects, complying with funder and institutional requirements, and aligning with research discipline and project aims. See Resource 9 for details.

Resources

Main resources for learners:

1. Why should you assign a licence to your research data? RDM Kit, https://rdmkit.elixir-europe.org/licensing.
2. Archive (FSD), Finnish Social Science Data. Copyright and Agreements - Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD). https://www.fsd.tuni.fi/en/services/data-management-guidelines/copyright-and-agreements/.
3. Skills4EOSC Evidence-Informed Decision-Making Train of Trainers Course 2: Module07 - Lecture01 -- Open Science and Non-Personal Data, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0VdCRlnNy8.
4. Choose a License. https://beta-chooser.creativecommons.org.

Recommended supplementary reading:

5. European Commission. Directorate General for Research and Innovation. Improving Access to and Reuse of Research Results, Publications and Data for Scientific Purposes: Study to Evaluate the Effects of the EU Copyright Framework on Research and the Effects of Potential Interventions and to Identify and Present Relevant Provisions for Research in EU Data and Digital Legislation, with a Focus on Rights and Obligations. Publications Office, 2024. DOI.org (CSL JSON), https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/633395.
6. Drążewski, Kasper, et al. D3.7 - Coordinated Set of Guides, Fact-Sheets and FAQs on ELSI Aspects for Civil Servants and Policy Makers. Aug. 2024. DOI.org (Datacite), https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.13467302.
7. Joint Research Centre (European Commission), et al. European Data Spaces : Scientific Insights into Data Sharing and Utilisation at Scale. Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. Publications Office of the European Union, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/400188.
8. Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (European Commission). Open Science and Intellectual Property Rights: How Can They Better Interact? : State of the Art and Reflections : Executive Summary. Publications Office of the European Union, 2022. Publications Office of the European Union, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/347305.
9. Open Licenses for data, code and software, Learning Path, Project Milestone, June 2024, https://task-4-2.github.io/Open-Licenses-data-code-and-software/latest/.