Handbook for Research
Section II: Guidelines for the Conduct of Research
Acquisition and Storage of Data
All members of the research team, as well as others with a legitimate interest in the research, must retain access to the raw data after completion of a research project. As new data or advances emerge, the need to re-examine primary observations often arises even after publication of the results. It is essential, therefore, that all investigators and their trainees maintain a permanent record of their findings in a form that will be understandable to any qualified practitioner in the field.
According to the rules of the Icahn School of Medicine, the notebooks and files recording original, primary data should not leave the laboratory. Individual investigators may make copies for their own use outside of the laboratory or upon leaving the laboratory. Data must be stored for a minimum of six years from the date of publication. If the senior investigator leaves Icahn School of Medicine before the six-year period elapses, he/she is required to retain the data until the completion of this time period, and to make them available, if requested, to the School. In the case of large, ongoing data-base research, the responsible investigators must retain the pertinent mass data-base devices (tape, disk, etc.).