Before getting started, refer to the Borealis Statement on Sensitive and Confidential Data for general information and terms for deposit.
Use this checklist to review whether human data may be suitable for deposit in Borealis. Not all sections or questions may be relevant to your data and there may be further considerations outside of this checklist.
Information to review for this checklist includes, but is not limited to:
If you have questions, you can reach out to relevant units in your institution for guidance and/or contact your local Borealis repository administrator.
Have you read the Borealis Statement on Sensitive and Confidential Data in Borealis?
Yes: Proceed to the next question.
No: Please read the Statement then return here.
Did your approved Research Ethics Board (REB) protocol indicate that you would deposit and/or share this dataset (open or controlled access) in Borealis (or other repository)?
Yes: Proceed to the next question.
No: Please contact your institution.
Not Applicable (e.g. exempt from REB approval). Proceed to the next question.
For the dataset being deposited, have all study participants given explicit informed consent allowing their data to be shared in:
Yes: Proceed to the next question.
No: Please contact your institution.
Not Applicable (e.g. did not have consent forms). Proceed to the “Borealis Terms of Use” section.
Notes and Considerations
If you answered “Yes” to the previous question, please state the specific conditions that the study participants consent to for deposit and/or sharing, as stated in the study terms and/or consent form.
Please indicate any conditions for deposit and/or sharing (if applicable).
Does the dataset contain information that could directly or indirectly identify a participant, except where the release of such identifying information has no potential for constituting an unwarranted invasion of privacy and/or breach of confidentiality (as defined in the Borealis Terms of Use)?
Yes: Proceed to the next question on exceptions.
No: Proceed to the “Next Steps” below this checklist.
Not sure: Please contact your institutional administrator for support.
If your data contains personally identifiable information (PII), does the dataset comply with one or more exceptions for sharing? Borealis does not allow deposit of PII data, except if:
Yes: Proceed to the “Next Steps” below this checklist.
No: See the next question to determine if your dataset can be deposited or not.
If you answered “No” to the previous question, have you permanently removed direct identifiers or otherwise de-identified/anonymized your data for deposit in Borealis?
Yes: Direct identifiers are permanently removed, (or) indirect identifiers are limited; no code is created to allow re-linkages. Proceed to the “Next Steps” below this checklist.
No: The dataset cannot (yet) be deposited. Please contact your institutional administrator for guidance on de-identification/anonymization and alternate deposit/secure storage options.
For further guidance on preparing your dataset for deposit in Borealis, contact the administrator at your institution. In addition to this checklist, consider procedures for ongoing management/custodianship of your data while it is in the repository, including attending to data updates and agreements with data users.
