Data Security Service

The DataSquad provides practical data security guidance to faculty, students, and staff. This is especially useful for IRB applicants. A key component of research with human subjects is to properly protect any related data. This is the full responsibility of the researcher, and for student researchers, it is also the responsibility of their faculty advisor.

Non-exempt IRB applications must complete this data security form IRB Sample Application From (adapted for the Carleton College environment.) Part of our goal is help applicants consider the full lifecycle of their data - and the data security implications of each phase - before they submit their application to the IRB. We’ve also compiled a basic page of research data security resources to help enlighten applicants (and advisors) about issues of research data security. Note that while the IRB is only charged with protecting the subjects of the research, Paula Lackie also provides robust support to help protect the researcher from data loss or corruption.