Access control

It is clear that not all types of research data are completely suitable for publication in open access, especially data that contains sensitive information. For this reason, the FAIR principles assume that some datasets may be published in restricted access, where only metadata and documentation files are openly available but access to the data file is restricted. In this way, the dataset as a whole may be considered FAIR, despite the fact that access to the data itself is restricted.

DATICE access control

DATICE offers several types of access conditions. Data owners choose the access control that is most suitable for the data in consultation with DATICE. The choice of access control depends on the sensitivity of the data and disclosure risk. A common denominator of all the access conditions is that metadata and data documentation is accessible to all through open access, even if the data itself is restricted. Also, no matter what access condition, the data never contains any direct personal identifiers, such as names and social security numbers.

Open access

Open access 1 is the simplest access condition. Anyone can download the data file and its documentation without any restrictions. Users are only required to accept DATICE's terms of use when downloading the files. The same applies to Open access 2, but users must also log into DATICE's Dataverse system before being able to download the files.

Restricted access

Data placed in restricted access is protected due to its sensitive nature. While the metadata and the accompanying documentation are always accessible to everyone, access to the data itself is restricted. In order to be able to download a data file in Restricted access 1, users must first log into DATICE's Dataverse system and then request permission from its owner to download the data file. In Restricted access 2, users may also be required to fulfill certain criteria for accessing the data file, which are pre-determined by the owners of the data and DATICE.

In some cases, users requesting access to restricted data may also need to provide information on the intended use of the data and to sign a special usage agreement, as well as a confidentiality agreement. In general, information on the restrictions that apply to each dataset, and how users may request access to the data, can be found in the metadata of a dataset.

Embargo (scheduled access)

Sometimes access to a dataset may need to be restricted over a certain period until it is deemed safe, or appropriate, to grant access to it. When a dataset is placed in embargo parts of it are inaccessible for a certain period of time, ranging from a few weeks to several years. During this period, access to the metadata and data documentation is generally open, while access to the data file is restricted.