Chapter 2: Policies of Data Archives

Introduction

This chapter focuses on “Policies of Data Archives”. It describes the types of policies (and some related documents) social science data archives most typically have in place.

The Policies section highlights the most relevant issues that data archives must take into consideration in relation to the main operations they perform on a daily basis. Policies are useful, and sometimes mandatory, for several reasons. They can also clearly state and support an archive’s commitment to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). In some cases, policies are required to satisfy standards such as ISO 27001 (an international standard on how to manage information security) or can be useful as evidence when seeking certifications such as CoreTrustSeal (CoreTrustSeal n.d.).

The sections of this chapter include common policies and procedures like Data Collection and Acquisition, Preservation, Curation, Data Access, and Data Dissemination, all of which cover the principles and necessary measures that need to be implemented to ensure the sustainability of both datasets and repositories.