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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions on Data Storage, Research Software, Research Data Management and ARC

Please click the questions below to see the answers.

Data Storage:

What kind of research data can I store in McGill OneDrive, MS Teams or SharePoint Online?

  • McGill OneDrive, MS Teams and SharePoint Online are approved for storing protected and some regulated research data. Regulated research data includes information governed by legal regulations, such as personal information (e.g., name, email address, mailing address, IP address, health card number, social insurance number, etc.) and personal health information (e.g., electronic health records). Please note that personal health information data may be stored on McGill OneDrive, MS Teams or SharePoint Online with participant consent.
  • Regulated data not approved to be stored in McGill OneDrive, MS Teams or SharePoint Online include Payment Card Information and data involving controlled goods.

What is the storage capacity for McGill OneDrive, MS Teams and SharePoint Online?

  • The default allocation for McGill OneDrive is 1 TB per user.
  • MS Teams can provide up to 25 TB of file storage per site/team.
  • SharePoint Online can provide up to 25 TB of file storage per site.

Can my students use McGill OneDrive, MS Teams or SharePoint Online to store research data?

  • Yes. These solutions are accessible to students as well if they have an active affiliation at McGill.

What data storage options are approved at McGill to store personal information and/or personal health data securely?

  • McGill OneDrive, MS Teams, and SharePoint Online are approved for storing protected research data, as well as personal information and/or personal health data (with participant consent). 
  • For information on different data storage options at McGill, please consult the knowledge Base article on Document storing and sharing. (McGill Login required.)
  • Instructional videos on McGill research data storage options: in English & en français.

Where can I request access to create a SharePoint Online site for my research project?

  • Before requesting the creation of a SharePoint Online site, we recommend that you take an introductory training course.  Register for training here: SharePoint training. (McGill Login required)
  • If you are familiar with SharePoint, you may request a SharePoint Online site using this form (McGill Login required).
  • You may find more information on SharePoint Online in this Knowledge Base article: About: Microsoft SharePoint Online (KB0012137). (McGill Login required)

Can I share files stored in my McGill OneDrive, MS Teams or SharePoint Online with external collaborators outside of McGill?

  • Yes. You may even assign permissions to allow different levels of access for any collaborators within or outside of McGill.
  • For information on the different data storage options at McGill, please consult the Knowledge Base article on Document storing and sharing. (McGill Login required.)
  • Instructional videos on McGill research data storage options: in English & en français.

Can I store research data on my own private Cloud or other services (e.g., personal Dropbox)?

  • The McGill Cloud Directive “applies to all members of the McGill University community that acquire or use Cloud Services for Enterprise Data or Research Data”, such that “Confidential Data must always undergo the Cloud Services acquisition process”. (https://www.mcgill.ca/it/cloud-services)
  • Please refer to the McGill approved Cloud Services for the list of approved solutions. You may also refer to the list of McGill rejected Cloud Services for more information. (McGill login required.)

For simulation studies conducted in my field of research, we generate several TBs of data a week. What storage and computational resources are available to accommodate my research?

  • Large storage can be obtained for a fee at ITS or freely with Calcul Quebec for non-regulated data.
  • Please contact McGill IT Services (https://mcgill.service-now.com/itportal/) or our Digital Research Services Hub (drs[at]mcgill.ca) for large storage needs assessment. 

 

 

Research Software:

Can I use Zoom to conduct research involving human participants, such as interviews and focus groups?

  • McGill has currently vetted Zoom services for teaching purposes only.
  • Webex and MS Teams have been approved for any usage, including research usage involving public data, protected data, personal information and  personal health information with participant consent.
  • If you have special needs for using specific online conferencing platforms to conduct your research, please consult with our team at drs[at]mcgill.ca.

What kind of McGill approved software can I use to record and transcribe interviews and focus groups?

  • McGill Webex and MS Teams are both vetted for recording and transcribing face-to-face interviews and focus group.
  • Starting August 16th, 2021, all new Teams meeting recordings will be saved to McGill OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online instead of MS Stream.
  • Webex can transcribe recordings in English only.
  • MS Teams will allow you to generate live transcriptions of a MS Teams recording in English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and much more. Please see the link below for more information on all 28 languages available for live transcription in MS Teams and how to export the transcript after the meeting. View live transcription in a Teams meeting. Please note that live transcription is not available for “Meet Now” or Channel meetings.

I conduct my interviews with participants in both English and French. Can Webex’s transcription system transcribe French interviews automatically?

  • No. Currently, Webex can transcribe recordings in English only.
  • MS Teams will allow you to generate live transcriptions of a MS Teams recording in English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and much more. Please see the link below for more information on all 28 languages available for live transcription in MS Teams and how to export the transcript after the meeting. View live transcription in a Teams meeting. Please note that live transcription is not available for “Meet Now” or Channels meetings.
  • If you already have the audio recordings available, you may consider using the transcribe feature in Office 365 Online Word: Transcribe your recordings in Online Word. Please note with a recent upgrade of this preview service, you can now upload and transcribe unlimited minutes of audio speech content starting from mid-August, 2022. Since this is a preview service from Microsoft, a limit (upper cap) for the uploaded audio may be reintroduced in the future, with the option to purchase additional minutes. 

I need to transcribe my audio recordings for further analysis. What transcription system can I use for research purposes?

  • If you already have the audio recordings available, you may consider using the transcribe feature in Office 365 Online Word: Transcribe your recordings in Online Word.
  • With a recent upgrade of this service, you can now upload and transcribe unlimited minutes of audio speech content. 
  • This feature currently supports .wav, .mp4, .mp4a and .mp3 file formats.

I have difficulties installing the Webex Desktop App. Can I join a Webex meeting through my web browser without installing the Webex App?

  • Yes, you can join a scheduled Webex meeting through your web browser without installing the Webex Deskptop App.
  • Click the green "Join Meeting" button in the email invitation you have received, and then click "Join from your browser" under the "Launch Meeting" button to join the Webex meeting.
  • You may find more information on how to join a Webex meeting in this video and more information on the Webex instruction page.

What survey tools can be used for research purposes at McGill?

  • McGill LimeSurvey (v.3); You may request a McGill LimeSurvey account by submitting a General Request Form at McGill IT Services Portal with “Access to LimeSurvey version 3” as subject title.
  • LimeSurvey user guide and other training information are accessible in this Knowledge Base article here: KB0010818 (McGill Login required.)
  • If you experience difficulty in registering for the Intro to LimeSurvey training provided by IT, please do not hesitate to contact the DRS team (drs[at]mcgill.ca). 

Can I use LimeSurvey to collect personal information (e.g., emails, IP addresses) and personal health information?

  • Yes. McGill hosts the open source “Community” edition of LimeSurvey on servers located on McGill premises. This McGill provided online survey solution can be used for research purposes to collect demographic information of human participants, including personal information and personal health information with participant consent.
  • LimeSurvey user guide and other training information are accessible in this Knowledge Base article here: KB0010818 (McGill Login required.)

I am using LimeSurvey to conduct my research. Should I back up my survey and the survey responses?

  • Yes.
  • You can create a complete backup of an active survey for archival purposes by exporting survey archive (.lsa), including your survey structure and the already stored survey responses.
  • If you want to have a backup of your survey structure only, you may export the .lss file instead.
  • More information on exporting survey archive file (.lsa) vs. survey structure file (.lss), please refer to the LimeSurvey manual on Display/Export survey.

I am done with data collection using LimeSuvey. Should I delete my survey entirely from LimeSurvey?

  • No. It is not advisable to delete your surveys in general.
  • Instead, you may de-activate your survey once data collection is completed and you have exported and saved your survey responses in a secure storage (e.g., McGill provided OneDrive, MS Teams and/or SharePoint Online).

Can I use Qualtrics or REDCap Cloud to conduct my research?

  • REDCap Cloud has not yet been vetted for cybersecurity or legal compliance for any use at McGill.
  • Qualtrics has not yet been vetted for cybersecurity or legal compliance for research use at McGill. If you want to use Qualtrics for your research, you may request for a lightweight IT assessment. (McGill Login required)

Do I need to plan ahead for the renewal of payable Cloud Service subscriptions?

  • It is recommended to work with your Fund Financial Manager (FFM) to identify these renewals as soon as possible in the fiscal year (May 1st), and a minimum of 3 month before the subscription expires.
  • More details on subscription renewals and other common questions can be found on the Cloud Services Consideration page.

When acquiring/using free or paid Cloud based services that are not in the McGill approved/rejected list for research purposes, what do researchers need to consider?

 

 

Web Hosting:

Is web-hosting for media files on university servers possible?

  • Yes.
  • Virtual Web Hosting Service at McGill (VHOST) publishes independently designed websites on a centrally managed system that is secure, reliable and easily recoverable, with a reduced risk of server downtime. Please contact McGill IT Services directly for more information.

I want to build and host my own website. What options are available to me?

 

 

Research Data Management:

Should I encrypt my files and how?

  • Data encryption is strongly recommended for anyone storing confidential data on their computers.
  • Please refer to the full disk encryption Knowledge Base article for concrete steps of encrypting your computer. (McGill Login required.)

I want to write a data management plan (DMP) for my next grant application. What are the tools and services available to help me in writing DMPs?

Where can I get someone to review my DMPs?

Where can I deposit my research data?

I want to deposit my data in a data repository. Should I include documentation to describe the data along with my dataset?

  • Yes.
  • Including documentation to describe your research and your data can help others and even the future you to understand and to increase the reusability of the data.
  • Typical documentation for describing your data could include: a high-level “Readme” file for project information, a codebook, or a data dictionary.
  • Instructional videos on data sharing and deposit: in English & en français.

Where can I access the online self-paced McGill RDM Learning Program?

  • If you have a McGill email account, you can self-enroll in the McGill RDM Learning Program via MyCourses.
  • For members of McGill affiliated hospitals or research centers (e.g., RI-MUHC, Douglas, etc. without a McGill email account), please contact DRS at drs[at]mcgill.ca for registration approval.
  • If you have any suggestions about the contents of the program, if you would like to contribute to this program, or if you want to incorporate some parts of this program in a course you are teaching at McGill, please contact us at drs[at]mcgill.ca.  

Last updated on 2022-11-28

 

 

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