Completion of License Document Suite
When the dataset(s) have been populated with the prepared data files and all of the associated supporting documentation, the next most important activity is the completion by the Data Owner or their authorised representative of the License document suite. This consists of three parts; the License Agreement Form, the License Terms and Conditions of Use and finally the License Access Guestbook. Each part plays an important role in ensuring that the data deposited with the ADA is managed correctly and that access is granted only to those persons who are deemed to have valid and genuine reasons for accessing the material. The License document suite not only helps to establish the access conditions for your data, but it also records these, and as such will be saved as part of the Submission Information Pack (SIP) to the ADA’s archive.
Component Parts
The three component parts to the License document suite and additional detailed information can be found in the sections and links below.
The License Agreement Form.
This form, when signed by the copyright holder/Data Owner or their authorised representative provides the ADA with the authority to both archive the data and to redistribute the data on their behalf based upon the satisfaction of certain access criteria. This component of the License establishes a contract between the Data Owner or their authorised representative and the ADA as the Data Custodian. There are a number of specific access types that can be selected for the redistribution of the data, however, where these do not meet the data owner’s requirements for access, then Non-Standard Access conditions can be agreed with the ADA Director.
The License Terms and Conditions of Use.
This element describes the terms under which the secondary user is required to adhere to in order to both access and use the data. It establishes a contract between the Data Owner or their authorised representative and the secondary user. There are a series of ADA Standard Terms and Conditions of Use that are available for Data Owner to use, or if required, they can record a bespoke set of Terms and Conditions of Use for agreement with the ADA Director. Many organisations will have their own corporate License Terms and Conditions of Use that are used in preference to the ADA Standard Terms and Conditions of Use.
The License Access Guestbook.
Where required, this form details the basic question set that the secondary user is required to answer in support of their access request. It allows for the basic compilation of statistics on the use of the data. There are standard ADA License Access Guestbooks that can be selected for use with a dataset(s), or where more detailed information is required, Non-Standard License Access Guestbook questions can be developed. These can then be added to Dataverse for attachment to a dataset(s). Many organisations will have their own License Access Guestbooks that are used for all of their datasets.
Submitting the completed License document suite
Once completed, the License Agreement Form should be printed and signed (or electronically signed) by the person holding the copyright for the information, this is typically the Data Owner but not always. For example, a University may hold the copyright and therefore the person signing the form should be at a sufficiently high level to hold the authority. The form should then be scanned and uploaded (or uploaded if electronically signed) to the dataset(s) in the same manner as all other Supporting Documentation.
Where any Non-Standard License Terms and Conditions of Use (Undertaking Form) and/or License Access Guestbook question sets are required, these too should be uploaded with the License Agreement Form for review and agreement by the ADA Director.