Working with personal and sensitive data

What you'll do 

Researchers today are pressured to share their research data and make it accessible to other researchers. But what if you have collected sensitive or confidential data? 

For many researchers, the sensitivity of research data is one of the main barriers to data sharing. Fear of violating ethical or legal obligations, lack of knowledge about disclosure control and the time required to anonymise data to a suitable standard often prevent valuable datasets from seeing the light of day. 

The workshop explores the key considerations involved in handling sensitive data in the workplace. It covers the basics of collecting, storing, sharing and protecting sensitive information that researchers may come across in the course of their work. 

What we'll cover 

  • Ethical and legal perspectives on research data 

  • Legal (GDPR) definitions, principles for research 

  • Strategies for:  

  • Data management plans (DMPs) and data protection impact assessments (DPIAs). 

  • Data collection, consent, and transparency. 

  • Active data management and data security. 

  • Data sharing - anonymisation and controlling access. 

  • References for further information 

After this workshop participants will be able to: 

  • Understand the principles of good research data management. 

  • Have knowledge of GDPR and data protection regulations, and what these mean for research and research data. 

  • Be aware of relevant services and resources available to researchers at the university. 

This session is facilitated by Library Research Data Service 

For all enquiries about Research Data Service training, please visit the web pages or contact data-support@ed.ac.uk 

Tags

Research Staff