We would like to remind you that as of 3 September 2024, an updated version of the Rules for the Processing of Research Data in the Information System of the National Open Access Research Data Archive (MIDAS) has come into force.
One of the provisions introduced by the new version is the obligation for authors publishing research data to specify the terms of use for the data.
When publishing data in open access, the terms of use of the data are specified by assigning one of the open content licenses supported by MIDAS.
When publishing in restricted access (i.e., when access to the data is only possible with the permission of its owner), open content licences are not suitable, the licence of the dataset is by default "Other", and the owner of the data must separately specify the conditions for access to and re-use of the data. Here are some tips on where and how to do this:
Where should the terms of access and reuse of restricted-access datasets be described?
It is best to describe the terms of access and reuse in a separate document attached to the dataset or include them in the readme file if one is provided, and add a reference to the document describing the terms in the "Description" field of the MIDAS record.
What information should be included in the description of the access and re-use conditions for restricted-access datasets?
When describing the conditions for access to and re-use of data, the following questions should be considered:
- Who owns the intellectual property rights to the dataset?
- Who can be granted access to the data (e.g. researchers only, researchers in a specific field, members of certain institutions, citizens of Lithuania / European Union, etc.)?
- For what purposes and in what manner can the data be used (e.g. for research / teaching / public interest)?
- For what purposes is the use of the data not allowed (e.g. for commercial purposes)?
- May the data be independently shared by users who were granted access to it?
- Under what conditions is the distribution of research results or commercial products based on the data allowed?
- Are there any additional requirements / restrictions for those wishing to use the data (e.g. access to the data is granted only from the premises of the institution that owns the data / the requirement to inform about publications published on the basis of re-used data)?
- How should the access request be made? (Is submitting a request via MIDAS enough, or should the data owner be contacted through other channels?)
- Is it necessary to submit any additional documents with the access request (e.g. a certificate from the institution of the person submitting the request, a description of the planned study, a letter of motivation, etc.)?
- Will the authorisation of access to data be granted by verbal consent or documented in writing (e.g. by signing a data transfer agreement or a confidentiality / ethical use agreement)?
- Who will decide on the authorisation of access to data, and how long will the decision take?
- It is also a good idea to provide a contact for inquiries.
The full text (in Lithuanian) of the updated version of the Rules for the Processing of Research Data in the Information System of the National Open Access Research Data Archive (MIDAS) can be found here. An English summary of the Rules can be found here.
Information on describing the terms of access and re-use of restricted-access datasets and other useful information can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the MIDAS portal.
If you have any questions related to describing the terms of use of data or the publication of research data in MIDAS, please contact Dr. Gintė Medzvieckaitė from Vilnius University Library Scientific Information and Data Division.
2025-05-09