Long term preservation of research data 

At DTU long term preservation of research data is possible via DTU Data and the National Archive.

All data underlying research publications must be stored for a minimum of five years after publication to ensure that others can assess and verify the results.

By publishing your data in a recognized data repository, such as DTU Data, you facilitate accessibility and reuse. Data published in DTU Data will be accessible for at least 10 years.

Long-Term Storage and Long Term Preservation

Preservation differs from 'storage' in the sense that it is a set of practices and strategies designed to ensure that valuable information, materials, and data remain accessible and usable over time. This involves protecting them against risks such as physical deterioration, technological obsolescence, and loss of contextual knowledge.

Data with historical or societal value should be preserved long-term to benefit future generations. Long-term preservation refers to accessibility for more than 50 years.

It is essential for long-term preservation to store data in formats that remain readable over time and to ensure that relevant documentation regarding the origin of the data is available. Be diligent in documenting your data throughout your project to ensure its future relevance.

Both long-term storage (archiving) and long-term preservation must be described in your data management plan.

Long-term preservation is relevant when your data has particular value – for example:

  • economic

  • scientific

  • historical

  • or societal

You should also consider preservation if the data cannot be recreated, are costly to reproduce, or may be of interest to other researchers in the future.

In some cases, external partners may require that data be preserved.

If you have very large datasets, special security requirements, or a need to preserve data for more than 10 years, you can contact datamanagement@dtu.dk for advice on tailored solutions. Read our guide to preservation in DTU Data for more information.

When you publish data from your research project in DTU Data, you meet the Danish National Archives’ requirements for reporting research data, as all data published under a Danish domain is harvested by Netarkivet.dk for legal deposit.

However, not all data can be published – for example, data containing personal information. For such projects, you must refer to the executive order on reporting research data issued by the Danish National Archives.

Read more about reporting research data to the Danish National Archives – and if you need further support, contact datamanagement@dtu.dk

Long term preservation and the National Archive

Some research data are assessed to be of such high value that they must be preserved for more than 100 years. In Denmark, the National Archive is responsible for deciding which digital research data fall into this category.

Contact

Datamanagement DTU Library

Longterm preservation

Danish law requires that certain data are reported and delivered for long-term preservation at the National Archives. Long-term preservation means archiving longer than the required 5 years after publication and data have to be thoroughly documented and in a future-proofed open format.

However, data published in DTU Data is exempted from reporting as it is already harvested for archiving at Netarkivet.dk 

Learn how DTU Data can secure your data for at least 10 years in our Guide to preservation in DTU Data.

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