DataScience Workbook / 09: Project Management / 3. Resource Management / 3.1. Data Management / 3.1.1. Open Science policy / TRUST principles

Guidelines to ensure digital repositories are Transparent, Responsible, User-focused, Sustainable, and employ appropriate Technology.

Introduction

The TRUST Principles are fundamental guidelines for digital repositories, crucial in the realm of data stewardship. They focus on ensuring repositories are Transparent, Responsible, User-focused, Sustainable, and employ appropriate Technology. These principles are increasingly important in managing and preserving research data effectively and ethically.

Essentially, the TRUST Principles are all about ensuring the reliability and longevity of research data. They focus on not just preserving data but also making sure it’s handled in a way that’s transparent, responsible, and user-friendly. This framework is key for repositories aiming to be trusted custodians of data, mirroring the ethics and community focus found in the and the efficiency and utility emphasized in the

By adhering to the TRUST Principles, digital repositories can effectively manage and preserve research data, making it a valuable resource for the scientific community and the public, both now and in the future.

TRUST Principles

The TRUST Principles provide a framework specifically for digital repositories, ensuring they manage research data effectively, ethically, and sustainably. These principles guide repositories in maintaining transparency, responsibility, user-focus, sustainability, and appropriate use of technology, crucial for the long-term preservation and accessibility of data.

This table breaks down the core aspects of the TRUST principles:

acronym	principle	definition	importance
`T`	Transparent	Digital repositories should operate with transparency in governance, data policies, and user terms and conditions.	Transparency builds trust with users and stakeholders, clarifying data usage rules and repository operations.
`R`	Responsible	Repositories must ensure the authenticity, integrity, and ethical stewardship of data under their care.	Responsibility guarantees data reliability, enhancing its credibility and trustworthiness for users.
`U`	User Focus	Prioritizing the needs and requirements of users, making data and services accessible and user-friendly.	A user-centric approach increases the utility and effectiveness of the repository for diverse user groups.
`S`	Sustainable	Developing strategies for long-term operational and financial sustainability of data services and preservation.	Sustainability ensures ongoing access to, and preservation of, valuable research data.
`T`	Technology	Employing appropriate and advanced technology to facilitate secure and effective data sharing and use.	Using the right technology enhances data security, efficiency, and compatibility with various platforms.

Who? When? Why?

The TRUST Principles were proposed by a collaborative group of experts in the data science community, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the NIH. They were developed as a community effort to establish a common framework for digital preservation and data repository best practices.

The TRUST Principles were published in June 2020, The TRUST Principles for digital repositories ⤴. This publication marked the formal introduction of these principles to the scientific and data repository communities, promoting a standardized approach to digital data preservation.

The TRUST Principles were implemented to complement the FAIR Principles, focusing on ensuring that digital repositories maintain Transparency, Responsibility, User-focus, Sustainability, and appropriate Technology. They address the need for trustworthy digital repositories (TDRs) that can preserve data over time while adapting to technological and stakeholder changes. By doing so, they play a critical role in maintaining the value of data and supporting the principles of Open Science.

TRUST in your Research

The TRUST Principles are not just guidelines for digital repositories; they are essential for scientists who want to ensure their research data is managed and preserved responsibly and effectively.

Why Does TRUST Matter to Scientists?

Ensuring Data Integrity and Reliability
The TRUST Principles help scientists be confident that the data repositories they use are managing their data responsibly. This means the data remains authentic, integral, and usable over time.

A climate research team uses a TRUST-compliant digital repository to store their extensive climate models and datasets. This ensures that their data, including its original format and metadata, remains unaltered and reliable for future verification and studies.

Facilitating Data Reuse and Longevity
By adhering to TRUST guidelines, repositories ensure that data is preserved in a sustainable manner, which is crucial for longitudinal studies and for enabling future researchers to revisit and reuse the data.

A medical research group archives its clinical trial data in a TRUST-certified repository. Years later, another team can access and reuse this data for a longitudinal study on long-term treatment effects, confident that the data has been preserved accurately over time.

Enhancing Research Credibility
When data is stored in TRUST-compliant repositories, it adds credibility to the research. Other scientists, reviewers, and the public are more likely to trust findings backed by data held in trustworthy repositories.

In a bioinformatics study, researchers publish their findings on gene expression patterns. The study’s credibility is enhanced as the underlying genomic data is stored in a TRUST-compliant repository, providing assurance to the scientific community about the data’s authenticity and the research’s reliability.

TRUST and Open Science

TRUST principles complement the goals of Open Science by promoting transparent and responsible data management, which are key to making scientific research more accessible and collaborative. Specifiaclly,

TRUST emphasizes ethical stewardship, ensuring that sensitive data is handled with care, respecting privacy, and intellectual property rights, which are crucial aspects of Open Science.
by ensuring that digital repositories focus on the needs of their users, TRUST principles foster a more collaborative and user-friendly environment, facilitating data sharing and interdisciplinary research.

Resources and Tools

There are specific resources and tools dedicated to supporting the TRUST principles and Trusted Digital Repositories (TDRs). These resources provide guidelines, assessment tools, and certifications that help ensure digital repositories adhere to the TRUST principles, thereby enhancing the quality and reliability of the data they store. They are crucial for researchers, data managers, and repository administrators aiming to maintain high standards in data stewardship and digital preservation.

resource	brief about
CoreTrustSeal	CoreTrustSeal is a core certification for data repositories, ensuring they meet specific standards related to transparency, responsibility, user focus, sustainability, and technology.
TRAC	Trusted Repository Audit Checklist (TRAC) is a checklist developed by the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), provides metrics for evaluating digital repositories in areas like administration, policy, object handling, and technology.
ISO 16363	ISO 16363 for Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories is an international standard providing a framework for assessing the trustworthiness of digital repositories.
RACWG	Repository Audit and Certification Working Group (RACWG) is part of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). This group works on developing auditing standards for digital repositories.
DCC	Digital Curation Centre (DCC) offers tools and guidance for data management, including aspects relevant to TDRs and compliance with TRUST principles, “Because good research needs good data”.
RDA	Research Data Alliance Groups (RDA) focus on trust and data repository certification, offering guidelines and tools for implementing TRUST principles.
FAIRsFAIR	While focused on FAIR principles, FAIRsFAIR project also includes aspects of trustworthiness in data repositories, particularly concerning sustainability and repository services.

Among the listed resources, the most applicable for research projects are:

CoreTrustSeal Certification
FAIRsFAIR Project and
Digital Curation Centre (DCC).

resource	application	how to use
CoreTrustSeal Certification	Researchers should look for digital repositories that have obtained CoreTrustSeal certification for storing and sharing their research data. This certification ensures that the repository adheres to TRUST principles, guaranteeing data integrity, preservation, and accessibility.	Before depositing data, verify the repository’s CoreTrustSeal certification. Use the repository’s services to store and share data, knowing it meets high standards for trustworthiness.
FAIRsFAIR Project	Researchers can utilize their tools and guidelines to ensure their data management plans align with both FAIR and TRUST principles.	Access the resources provided by FAIRsFAIR for guidance on data management and repository selection. Implement their recommendations in your data management plans and practices.
Digital Curation Centre (DCC)	Researchers can use their tools for creating data management plans that consider data preservation, integrity, and access.	Utilize DCC’s Data Management Plan (DMP) tool to create and maintain comprehensive data management plans. Incorporate TRUST principles in your data stewardship practices as guided by DCC’s resources.

Best Practices for TRUST Data Management

Embracing the TRUST principles in managing your research data is more than just meeting standards; it’s about ensuring that your data is preserved responsibly and used ethically. Here’s how you can align your research data with the TRUST principles for Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability, and Technology.

Practical Steps to Align Your Data with TRUST

Select the Right Repository
Choose digital repositories that are committed to the TRUST principles. This choice ensures your data is managed with the highest degree of transparency, security, and sustainability.
For example, repositories with CoreTrustSeal certification are often a safe bet, as they are recognized for meeting strict trustworthiness criteria.

A list of CoreTrustSeal certified data repositories ⤴, examples include:

Develop a Comprehensive Data Management Plan
Craft a data management plan that outlines how you will manage, store, and share your data. Make sure this plan aligns with the TRUST principles, covering aspects like long-term preservation and user accessibility. Tools like the DCC’s Data Management Plan guide can help in this process.

A practical guide on How to Develop a Data Management and Sharing Plan ⤴
Practical examples: What to include in your plan? ⤴ with real examples of output management plans ⤴

Implement TRUST-Compliant Practices and Tools
Utilize tools and services that adhere to TRUST principles. This could include using software for secure data encryption, or services that ensure data integrity over time. Familiarizing yourself with TRUST guidelines will help identify which tools and practices are most appropriate.

The Long-Term Benefits

By adhering to TRUST principles, you’re signaling to your peers and the public that your data is managed responsibly, enhancing the credibility and reliability of your research.

TRUST-compliant data management ensures your data is preserved for the long term, making it more likely to be reused in future studies, which can lead to new discoveries and collaborations.

The digital data landscape is continuously evolving. Staying informed and compliant with the TRUST principles prepares you to adapt to new challenges and opportunities in data management.

More funding agencies and scientific journals are recognizing the importance of trustworthy data management. Complying with TRUST principles can therefore be crucial for securing funding and getting research published.

TRUST principles

Aleksandra Badaczewska