Research Data York deposit agreement

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1. Purpose of this deposit agreement

1.1 This deposit agreement gives the University permission to receive, host, preserve and distribute datasets and carry out activities necessary to facilitate continued access to datasets within the terms and conditions set out below.

1.2 Subject to 1.3, by submitting your dataset for deposit you grant a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty free licence to the University to host, preserve and distribute the dataset in its entirety including any material which makes up the dataset. The licence is non-exclusive, and you retain any rights you may have to distribute or publish the dataset or future versions elsewhere.

1.3 The Parties acknowledge that where the dataset was created in the course of employment with the University, or in circumstances where student-created IP vests in the University pursuant to Regulation 12 (Intellectual Property), such rights are owned directly by the University. Where the University already owns the dataset, no separate grant of licence under Clause 1.2 is required.

2. As the Depositor of this dataset:

2.1 I assert that I am either the sole rights holder or I am permitted by all rights holder(s) of the dataset to enter into this agreement (acknowledging that the University owns datasets created by its employees in the course of their employment).

2.2 I warrant that the dataset does not infringe any copyright, patent, trademark, or other rights whatsoever of any person.

2.3 I warrant that the dataset complies with any applicable law and regulations and does not contain any material of a defamatory, libellous or otherwise unlawful nature.

2.4 Where the dataset concerns human subjects and/or personal data (as defined by applicable data protection laws, including the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR),

• I warrant that any use of the dataset in accordance with the terms of this agreement will not contravene research participants' rights of confidentiality and anonymity or the rights of data subjects.
• I confirm that hosting, preserving and distribution of the dataset in accordance with the terms of this agreement is in line with the reasonable expectations of the data subjects and the terms of any ethical approval, participant or sharing agreements, or consent.

2.5 If the dataset has been commissioned, sponsored or supported by any organisation other than the University, I have fulfilled all of the obligations required by such contract(s) or agreement(s) including data sharing/processing agreements.

2.6 I confirm that the dataset has been produced in accordance with relevant research integrity and ethical standards and that I have not knowingly deposited an inaccurate or misleading dataset. While I do not guarantee that the dataset is completely error-free, I confirm that to the best of my knowledge it is suitable for deposit.

3. Rights and responsibilities of the University

I assert that the University:

3.1 May store, archive, translate, copy, reformat or perform any other technical operations to preserve the integrity of the dataset and future accessibility.

3.2 May distribute copies of the dataset worldwide, in electronic format via any medium.

3.3 May incorporate metadata or documentation for the dataset into public access catalogues.

3.4 May at any time, migrate the dataset to another repository.

3.5 May remove the dataset from the repository for professional, legal or administrative reasons, or if it is found to violate the legal rights of any person or organisation. Should a dataset be removed, the University reserves the right to retain the metadata record in the repository as trace of the dataset.

3.6 Is under no obligation to take legal action on my behalf or on behalf of any other rights holder in the event of an infringement of intellectual property rights or any other rights in the dataset/material deposited.

4. Third party access and use

4.1 By default, datasets are made openly available to all. Depositors may apply access restrictions in consultation with the University.

4.2 Access to datasets will be enabled following a review by the University, subject to any embargo period specified by the Depositor at the time of deposit.

4.3 Third party use of datasets is permitted under the default licence: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY). Depositors may suggest an alternative licence or end user agreement in consultation with the University.

5. Disclaimer

5.1 The University accepts no responsibility for mistakes, omissions, or legal infringements (including without limitation, infringements of intellectual property rights or breaches of data protection laws) within the deposited material (without limitation, including the dataset and its associated documentation).

5.2 While the University will take reasonable measures to preserve the integrity of the dataset, the University is not liable for loss or damage to the dataset or any other material comprising the dataset while it is stored in the University data repository or any repository to which the dataset is subsequently migrated.

6. Definitions and terms

Dataset: A set of digital materials comprising both research data and documentation.

Depositor: The person who uploads the dataset and who is entering into this agreement with the University.

Documentation: Contextual and descriptive information needed to find, interpret, understand, access and reuse research data. For example: a codebook (with information about the study, files, and variables), a data dictionary, a description of methodology.

Research data: Any information that is collected, observed or created, for purposes of analysis to produce original research results.

University: The University of York, a body incorporated in England and Wales by Royal Charter with registration number RC000679 whose principal offices are at Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, England.

Applicable law

This agreement shall be governed by the law of England and shall take effect on the date of deposit.

Version 3: October 2026