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What happens to your data?

With your permission, your data will be stored in the Australian Social Science Data Archive, which means it will be preserved and used for future research purposes. The information below explains what will happen to your data, should you agree for it to be archived. If you would like to be involved in the study but do not wish to have any or all of your data archived, you are welcome to participate still. Please feel free to ask questions if you need further information on any aspect.

What is the Australian Social Science Data Archive (ASSDA)?

ASSDA is a digital space for preserving important research data while also making that data available to other researchers conducting similar types of studies. It is managed by a team of university researchers and professional archivists who have experience in working with quantitative and qualitative material. ASSDA has been running for almost 30 years and now holds data from over 1,500 projects.

Why archive data?

There are many reasons why researchers would wish to store their data with ASSDA. First, it ensures data are kept safe and secure in the future so that people’s stories are not lost. Second, it increases the value of investment that you, as a participant, make to the research by ensuring your story is shared more widely among the research community.
This is especially important with topics that are difficult to talk about, or groups of people who are hard to access, such as those who are elderly or ill. Encouraging researchers to share their data with each other also reduces the need to collect new data from people, thereby minimising the intrusion that researchers make into people’s lives. Finally, data archiving also helps researchers meet growing demands for enhanced accountability and value for money with respect to publicly funded research.

Who will have access?

Storing data in ASSDA does not mean it is freely available on the web for everyone to see. Instead, your data will be carefully protected to ensure that they are used by legitimate university researchers only. This occurs through restrictions placed on the data which require researchers to apply to the archive, in writing, if they wish to access it. Some data will have stricter access conditions than others depending on the sensitivity of the topic.