Research Data Security - Background & Guidance Purpose

Federal regulations require Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to protect the privacy of subjects,
including the confidentiality of their data.

Research is a global activity and it is the responsibility of the principal investigator to understand the laws and regulations for research in the United States. In the electronic and internet era, the majority of data is collected, stored or transmitted electronically and researchers in the US are federally required to provide a plan protecting the confidentiality of research data. The intent of this guidance is to provide best practices to the Florida Atlantic University research community to develop and manage their data.

Responsibilities of all Florida Atlantic researchers for data security are:

• Ensure the security of all research data when it is collected, stored, accessed, transmitted, shared and preserved/destroyed.
• Document standard operating procedures (SOPs) to guide the development of a data security plan.
• Training research teams in securing and safeguarding research data.
• Have periodical discussions at research team meetings regarding the security of the data.
• Consider the procedures to destroy the data.
• Include the data monitoring and safety plan (DMSP) in the IRB protocol submissions in a way that outlines the detailed procedures to collect, store, access, transmit, share, preserve and destroy the data during and after a research project.