SND has a CoreTrustSeal certified repository

SND has a certified repository for research data, SND CARE. This means that the entire workflow for data stored by SND is quality assured, from the point when datasets are submitted, described, processed, and stored, until they are ordered or downloaded for reuse. In SND’s case, the certification is provided by CoreTrustSeal. Below, you can read more about what this means in practice. 

For research data to remain accessible and be preserved for the future, they need to be managed by a repository that can fulfil these tasks. A repository is responsible for all aspects of data management, from the point when data are deposited after the end of a research project until they are made available for reuse. This management process generally follows the OAIS model. Both the original creator of the data and those who reuse them need to be able to trust that the data have been managed appropriately during preservation. A repository certified by CoreTrustSeal is recognized as a Trustworthy Data Repository. 

What are the requirements for certification? 

The repository must have a documented mission to provide access to and preserve data. This mission must include responsibility for ensuring that data are managed appropriately and remain accessible for the foreseeable future. Continued access to data and metadata must be guaranteed, and there must be a plan to ensure continued access in the event of organizational changes or if funding for the repository were to cease. 

By using documented processes and workflows for all management of data and metadata, the repository ensures that the certification requirements are met. Data descriptions must contain sufficient metadata and documentation to enable users to make well-informed decisions about whether the data are suitable for their purposes, and to ensure that the data can be found and understood both now and in the future. It must be possible to cite the data using a complete citation that includes a persistent identifier (PID). There must also be a documented plan for the long-term preservation of the data. 

A certified repository uses agreements, terms and conditions, and licences that clearly describe how access to data is provided and how the data may be used. Data must be managed in accordance with ethical principles and made available in accordance with applicable legislation. The repository’s processes for data deposit, processing, storage, and access safeguard what are known as the authenticity and integrity of the data and metadata. Among other things, this means that data submitted to the repository by researchers are not manipulated but remain unchanged in content from the point when they are deposited until they are made available to users for reuse.  

To carry out its mission, the repository must have secure funding and staff with relevant expertise. It must also be part of a wider network of expertise and continuously keep up with developments in the field. The repository must identify the users it serves – its designated community – and this group must be able to understand the information provided by the repository. To ensure that the data are relevant and understandable to users, there must be a policy specifying what data and metadata the repository manages.

The repository must use a reliable and stable technical infrastructure that meets the needs of its users, and procedures must be in place to protect against security threats. 

SND's certificate: SND CoreTrustSeal certificate (PDF).

You can read more about the certification and the requirements that must be met on the CoreTrustSeal website: CoreTrustSeal | Data Repositories Requirements.