The UK Data Archive has been recertified as a trustworthy digital repository under the CoreTrustSeal, a certification that promotes sustainable and trustworthy data infrastructures.
The Archive, based at the University of Essex, is the trustworthy digital repository (TDR) provider to the UK Data Service. This achievement of being recertified under the CoreTrustSeal sits alongside our recent certification under Cyber Essentials Plus, our accreditation for both the preparation and provision of data under the Digital Economy Act and our longstanding certification for information security (ISO27001).
The CoreTrustSeal tests compliance with sixteen requirements related to organisational infrastructure, digital object management, plus information technology and security. These sixteen requirements reflect the core characteristics of trustworthy data repositories. The certification reflects an endorsement by the community and provides an assurance to the Service’s users and funders of our trustworthiness.
“Achieving this accreditation demonstrates the ability of the UK Data Archive to perform all of the relevant activities relating to providing long-term access to data of value to social science researchers,” said Hervé L’Hours, who takes responsibility for repository and data infrastructure services harmonisation.
The re-certification follows the trend of the UK Data Service’s long history of contributing to developing and delivering best practice in trustworthy repositories.
The Service’s data policy and governance expert, Professor Matthew Woollard, was part of the original Data Seal of Approval Board (CoreTrustSeal’s predecessor) and the Service was actively involved in developing the CoreTrustSeal through a Research Data Alliance Working Group.
Hervé L’Hours has served as Vice-chair and Chair of the CoreTrustSeal during the 2021 – 2024 board term and played a key role in the development of CoreTrustSeal’s Curation and Preservation levels, as well as further developing the CoreTrustSeal requirements and associated guidance.
The Service is also a member of the CESSDA (Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives) Trust Working Group and is part of the European Open Science Cloud’s FIDELIS project, which is looking to establish and operate a European network of trustworthy digital repositories.