Our approach to data-sharing is governed by two simple principles:
- Data-sharing must be equitable and appropriate, and
- Data users must acknowledge the work of contributing researchers by citing the data source.
These principles are applied in different ways for different data releases because the definition of “equitable” and “appropriate” can vary. They depend on the community of researchers involved, the scientific objectives of the project for which the data was generated, and the nature of the data. For example, human data is subjected to different restrictions than parasite data.
MalariaGEN data resources – amounting to more than 130 terabytes to date – have been generated in collaboration with independent researchers in malaria-endemic countries through a number of distinct projects with varied scientific and translational objectives.
In order to maximise the benefit of these data resources to the scientific community, many of our projects make data available online before their own analyses and publications. While some resources are made available open access, typically data are released under specific Terms of Use or data release policies in an effort to strike a balance between facilitating access and ensuring that the science and underlying partnerships are sustainable.
The relevant Terms of Use or data release policy will clearly state any restrictions on data usage, outline acceptable data use, and provide guidance on how to cite the data source.
All data users are expected to respect the contributions of their scientific colleagues by abiding by the relevant terms of use, where applicable, and always providing appropriate acknowledgement.