Research often requires the use of personally identifiable information (PII) which has strict ethical and legal guidelines on how it can be collected, analysed and used. For some data, such as health information, this is particularly problematic as they are ‘protected characteristics’ under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means that additional measures should be taken to ensure use is fair, appropriate and necessary. Good data governance is therefore essential to the successful completion of the project.
This should not be a barrier to research. Although there are potentially many factors to consider, the basic principles and common frameworks do much of the heavy lifting. A large portion of the work is about taking the time to think and then planning effectively for the project.
Good data governance generally occurs when you have the time to think, however the way that you do so will affect the outcome, and different disciplines may have varying views on what matters the most. Therefore, this website considers how we should think about data governance. One example of a varied view of importance comes from the Australian Government who have adapted the framework to fit their necessity and interpretation: https://www.aihw.gov.au/about-our-data/data-governance/the-five-safes-framework
Data governance involves ethics, data management, disclosure control, people management, public engagement and archiving policy. The most common and coherent way to manage this different interest is the Five Safes framework.