Principal Investigator or Researcher: A researcher means a person who has entered into an employment relationship with the Vaal University of Technology in an academic position, full time or part time and whether full appointment or join appointment including adjunct, honorary affiliate and assistantships. Principal Investigators (PI) and other researchers are generally regarded as stewards and custodians of research data. However, if PI choose to delegate responsibility within their research groups, the PIs remain accountable to the University for the stewardship of research data.
Research Data: For the purpose of this policy, research data are defined as tangible and intangible factual records (numerical, textual records, images and sounds) regardless of the form or the media on which it may be recorded, that is used as primary sources for research and that are commonly accepted in the research community as necessary to validate research findings. Research data include but is not limited to computer software, materials, specimens, chemical entities, laboratory notebooks, notes of any type, survey or routine questionnaire, photographs, films, audio recordings, digital images, biological samples, algorithms, reagents, charts, graphs, statistics and conclusions.
Research data set: This is defined as a systematic, partial representation of the subject being investigated. Excluded in this definition are laboratory note books, preliminary analysis, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer review report or personal communication.
Research Administrative and Financial Records: These are records and documents, materials and information that relate to administrative, financial and human resources management of research. These include but not limited to financial information, administrative information, cost or pricing of materials, travel expenses and any other information which may be required for reporting by the research funding agencies.
Data management Plan: This refers to the administrative process by which data is acquired, validated, stored, protected and processed throughout its lifecycle. It includes accessibility by other users
Metadata: The structured information that describes, explains, locates or otherwise make it easier to retrieve, use, or manage data resource or information resource.
Open Access: Means the immediate, online, free availability of research outputs that can be accessed by anyone and is free from most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Open Data: Data that can be freely used, reused and distributed to anyone subject to attribution of authorship of such data.
Embargoed data: this refers to data to which access is restricted for legal, privacy and confidentiality and or commercial purposes.
Public Funded Research: Public funded research refers to all the research supported financially by public or tax payers funding. It can be provided through an agency or it can be undertaken in government institutions or laboratories. In the context of this policy, the government refers to South African government. International agencies can also provide to South African researcher funding from their own public funded agencies.
Misconduct: When it is necessary to secure such data during research misconduct proceedings, the University through the office of Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation, Commercialisation and Internationalisation (DCV RICI) may take custody of such research data.