MSL Data Policy

Department of Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Laboratory Data Policy

To protect the integrity of all data generated in the Department of Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (MSL), as well as the integrity of PIs, students and postdoctoral associates who utilize the MSL, the following Data Policy has been established:

All data generated in the MSL by trained users (PIs, students, postdocs) belong to, and are the responsibility of, the research group of origin. It will be the responsibility of those research groups to maintain the integrity of said data, publish final results in peer-reviewed literature and/or to deposit said results in applicable databases. The following Policy will apply to all data collected in the MSL:

  • At regular intervals, data will be backed up to secure external databases by MSL personnel, including databases within the University of Minnesota Supercomputing Institute. A MSL Data Sunset Policy of 3 months will apply to all data collected in the MSL. It is the responsibility of each research group to backup and archive any data collected in the MSL that they wish to archive longer than 3 months.
  • Data collected by MSL personnel as part of any research collaboration is without exception, curated and maintained by the MSL Director. Production of figures for publication and deposition of this data into public and/or journal databases, as well as composition of manuscript sections related to MS and LC/MS data acquisition (Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Supporting Information) for collaborative research projects shall be completed by the MSL Director in collaboration with co-authors.
  • Papers published with data collected in the MSL, but that are not research collaborations with MSL personnel should add the following acknowledgment to the manuscript:
  • Mass spectrometry analysis was performed at The University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (MSL), supported by the Office of the Vice President of Research, College of Science and Engineering, and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. The content of this paper is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not represent endorsement by MSL personnel.

In addition, to avoid data manipulation and to protect the integrity of all data as well as the integrity of the individuals comprising the group, the following protocol is highly recommended to all research groups employing the MSL:

  • Establishment of an individual Data Quality Plan, managed by the PI (or appointed data manager) of that group. As part of that plan, the following guidelines should be followed prior to any plotting, graphing, or figure production employing the data:
  • If x-y (raw) data are to be exported outside of the MSL, that data should first be physically printed, signed and dated by the user and provided to a designated research group data manager who will deposit the printed raw data in a 3-ring binder stored in the office of the research group’s PI.
  • The appointed data manager of the group will at the same time collect an electronic copy of the raw (x-y) data and place it in an electronic data repository (Google drive/files.umn.edu recommended).