PROTOCOLS FOR THE EUROPEAN POLLEN
DATABASE
As revised 3 February 1996 - Cracow
The following protocols for the database were discussed and agreed by
the Advisory Board at its meeting in Cracow. In the event that additional
changes are necessary in the future, all database contributors and users
will be notified and the changes will be published in the Newsletter. The
current protocol will also be distributed with any data transferred from
the EPD to a user.
A. Data
1. Data must consist of the original counts, not percentages or
digitized data.
2. The database must contain the original taxonomic identifications,
with exceptions of exact nomenclatural synonymy. As primary entries, taxa
will not be lumped into higher taxonomic groups in the database. For practical
reasons, higher-level hierarchies will exist within the database in two
ways; the first will be according to pollen morphology, the second according
to plant taxonomy.
3. Data will be classified as restricted or unrestricted. All data
will be available in the EPD, although restricted data can be used only
as provided below.
4. Unrestricted data are available for all uses, and are included
in the EPD portion of the World Data Center- A (Paleoclimatology) and the
EPD portion of the Global Pollen Database, which are distributed from various
electronic sites globally.
5. Restricted data may be used only by permission of the data originator.
Appropriate and ethical use of restricted data is the responsibility of
the data user.
6. Restrictions on data will expire three years after they are submitted
to the EPD. Just prior to the time of expiration, the data originator will
be contacted by staff of the EPD with a reminder of the pending change.
The originator may extend restricted status for further periods of three
years by so informing the EPD each time a three-year period expires.
B. Contributors
1. Can declare data unrestricted or restricted, but are strongly
encouraged to provide data in unrestricted form so as to allow widespread
use.
2. Can ask to verify that data in the database are correct. As a
matter of general policy, the central database should routinely return
to the data originator a hardcopy printout of the data as they are entered
in the database for optional verification by the originator.
3. May use any unrestricted data.
4. Can obtain copies of application software and the database itself
for use on his/her own computer.
5. Should receive a periodic newsletter or report concerning the
database.
6. Can ask at any time that his/her data be withdrawn from the database
or that their status (unrestricted or restricted) be changed.
7. May, by so informing the EPD, extend the restricted status of
a data set after the standard three years.
8. In the case of a dispute regarding inappropriate use of restricted
data, the Advisory Board will serve as arbitrator.
C. Users
1. Must ask permission from the data originator for use of restricted
data.
2. Should, as a matter of courtesy, inform data originators of the
uses being made of their data.
3. If the contributor wishes, should show the contributor results
of analyses and manuscripts for publication for critical comment.
4. Should cite, in any publication using data from the database,
the contributors' original publications describing their data.
5. Should send contributors reprints of publications that use their
data.
6. Should acknowledge contributors for use of unpublished data and
for any advice they may have provided.
7. No user can pass data on to another party. All users must obtain
data from the central database.
8. Normal ethics apply to co-authorship of publications. The contributor
should be invited to be a co-author if a user makes significant use of
a single contributor's data, or a single contributor's data comprise a
substantial portion of a larger dataset analyzed, or a contributor makes
a significant contribution to the analysis of the data or to the interpretation
of the results. This guideline applies to unrestricted as well as to restricted
data.
9. The data are available only to non-profit-making organizations
and for research. Profit-making organizations may use the data, even for
legitimate uses, only with the written consent of the Advisory Board, who
will determine or negotiate the payment of any fee required.