Commissioned Research Data, Licensing and Reuse
Data, Licensing and Reuse – Commissioned Research
Data, Licensing and Reuse of Outputs
This page sets out how data, reports, briefs and other outputs from commissioned projects are handled, licensed and shared. It is designed to balance openness and reuse with legitimate needs for confidentiality, restriction or phased release. It applies to projects across academic, policy and development contexts. Specific projects may agree additional or more restrictive arrangements depending on funder requirements, institutional policies or contextual sensitivities.
Types of Outputs
Commissioned projects may produce a range of outputs, including:
- Full reports or studies
- Policy briefs, guidance notes or learning briefs
- Datasets, codebooks or data summaries
- OER modules, training materials or slide decks
- Presentations, infographics or other knowledge products
Each type of output may have different licensing and sharing considerations.
Default Approach to Licensing
Unless there are good reasons to do otherwise, the hub encourages open licensing to maximize the use and impact of commissioned work.
For written and visual outputs (reports, briefs, OER, slides, etc.):
- Default licence: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)
This allows others to share and adapt the material, including commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source. - Alternative options (by agreement):
- CC BY‑NC (Attribution‑NonCommercial) – allows sharing and adaptation for non‑commercial purposes only.
- CC BY‑NC‑ND (Attribution‑NonCommercial‑NoDerivatives) – allows others to download and share the work unchanged, for non‑commercial purposes, with credit.
- More restrictive arrangements (e.g. “all rights reserved” or internal‑only use) may be agreed where necessary, for example for confidential policy documents or donor‑restricted outputs.
For datasets and data‑related materials:
- Where data can be shared openly, a Creative Commons licence (often CC BY or CC0) or an Open Data Commons licence may be used.
- Where data cannot be fully opened (e.g. due to confidentiality or consent restrictions), projects should:
- Document what can and cannot be shared.
- Consider sharing aggregated or anonymised versions where possible.
- Provide clear metadata and descriptions so that others understand what exists and how it could potentially be accessed.
Any license or sharing arrangement should be agreed during the scoping phase and recorded in the project thread and in the final outputs.
Handling Confidential or Restricted Data
Not all data and outputs can or should be fully open. Projects may involve:
- Personal or sensitive data (e.g. interview transcripts, survey responses with identifiable information).
- Confidential policy or programme data (e.g. internal government documents, unpublished programme data).
- Information that could pose risks if disclosed (e.g. about individuals, communities or organisations in sensitive contexts).
Key expectations:
- Early clarification
Commissioners and project teams should agree early on:- Which data and materials are confidential or restricted.
- Who can access them.
- How they will be stored, shared and eventually archived or destroyed.
- Secure storage and limited access
Confidential or sensitive data should be stored securely, with access limited to authorised team members. File‑sharing should use secure, password‑protected or institutionally approved platforms. - Clear labelling
Files and outputs that are restricted should be clearly labelled (e.g. “Confidential – for internal use only”, “Restricted access”, “Draft – not for citation”). - Repository deposition
When the repository layer is active:- Open outputs will be deposited with open licences and full metadata.
- Restricted outputs may be deposited with access controls (e.g. metadata visible, files accessible only on request or to specific users), or described with a note on how to request access.
Attribution and Citation
Open licensing does not remove the need for proper attribution. The hub expects all users of outputs to cite and acknowledge sources appropriately.
For reports, briefs and similar outputs:
- Suggested citation format (to be adapted per output):
Author(s) (Year). Title of report or brief. Commissioned by [Commissioner]. Published by [Hub/Group name]. Licence: [e.g. CC BY 4.0]. URL or repository link. - In‑text attribution
Whereoutputs are adapted or reused (e.g. sections incorporated into guidance, training materials or policy documents), the original source should be clearly acknowledged.
For datasets:
- Datasets should be cited using the recommended citation provided in the metadata or repository record.
- Where datasets are used in analyses or publications, the source should be acknowledged in line with academic and professional norms.
Reuse and Adaptation
One of the goals of the hub is to enable outputs to be reused and adapted across different contexts, especially in development and practice settings.
Encouraged uses include:
- Incorporating policy briefs or guidance notes into national or organisational guidelines.
- Adapting OER modules and training materials for local training programmes, with appropriate translation and contextualisation.
- Using case studies and learning briefs in teaching, workshops or professional development.
- Building on datasets or data summaries for further analysis, monitoring or evaluation.
When adapting materials:
- Maintain the integrity of the original evidence and arguments.
- Clearly indicate where changes have been made (e.g. “Adapted from [original source]”).
- Respect any non‑derivative clauses if a NoDerivatives licence is used.
- Where possible, share back adapted versions or lessons learned with the hub, so that others can benefit.
Embargoes and Phased Release
In some cases, commissioners may need to delay public release of outputs, for example:
- To align with a policy launch, programme cycle or publication strategy.
- To allow time for internal review or decision‑making.
- To manage political or strategic sensitivities.
Key expectations:
- Embargoes should be agreed and documented during scoping.
- The expected duration and conditions of the embargo should be clear (e.g. “no public release before [date]”, “internal use only until [event]”).
- Even where full public release is delayed, consider whether:
- A summary or learning brief can be shared earlier.
- Metadata (title, authors, description) can be made visible in the repository with the full file restricted until the embargo ends.
Responsibilities Across Roles
- Commissioners / partners
- Clarify any licensing, confidentiality or dissemination requirements at the request stage.
- Agree realistic embargoes or restrictions and communicate them early.
- Support appropriate sharing of outputs within their networks, in line with agreed licences.
- Project leads / principal investigators
- Ensure that licensing and data‑sharing arrangements are agreed during scoping.
- Prepare outputs with clear licence statements and recommended citation text.
- Handle confidential and sensitive data according to agreed protocols and ethical standards.
- Prepare files and metadata for repository deposition in line with the agreed licence and access conditions.
- Contributors and reviewers
- Respect confidentiality and licensing conditions when handling drafts and data.
- Avoid sharing restricted materials outside the agreed circle.
- Group admins / coordinators
- Support teams in documenting licensing and data‑sharing arrangements in the project thread.
- Ensure that final outputs include clear licence and citation information.
- Coordinate with repository managers (when Layer 3 is active) to implement access conditions and embargoes correctly.
Special Cases and Funder Requirements
Some projects may be subject to specific funder or institutional requirements, for example:
- Mandatory open access policies for publications.
- Specific data management and sharing plans.
- Restrictions on sharing certain types of data or outputs.
In such cases:
- The project should comply with the stricter of (a) hub expectations and (b) funder/institutional requirements.
- Any deviations from the hub’s default licensing approach should be documented in the project thread and noted in the outputs.
How this page fits with other guidance
This page should be read alongside:
- How commissioned research works – for the full project process.
- Roles and expectations in commissioned projects – for responsibilities of different actors.
- Quality, ethics and safeguarding – for handling of sensitive data and ethical considerations.
- Project Request Form – where commissioners can indicate initial preferences on licensing and dissemination.
See also