Purpose
Reliable institutional records support accountability, continuity, research integrity, and transparency.
GARC therefore maintains principles for the creation, approval, identification, storage, updating, and retention of institutional documents.
Controlled Documents
Documents that may require formal control include:
- policies;
- research protocols;
- governance documents;
- Board records;
- agreements;
- publication files;
- ethics records;
- data-management records;
- official templates;
- institutional reports;
- significant project records.
Document Identification
Controlled documents should, where appropriate, include:
- title;
- owner;
- version number;
- date;
- status;
- approval authority;
- review date or review cycle.
Version Control
Significant revisions should result in an identifiable new version.
Obsolete versions should not remain in active use where this could create confusion.
Source of Truth
Where multiple copies exist, GARC should maintain an identifiable authoritative version of key institutional records.
Access
Access to records should be appropriate to role, confidentiality, sensitivity, and operational need.
Retention and Disposal
Records should be retained for periods appropriate to their:
- legal significance;
- research value;
- contractual requirements;
- governance importance;
- data-protection considerations;
- institutional need.
Records containing personal or sensitive information should not be retained longer than justified.
Secure disposal should be used where appropriate.
Public Documents
Policies or publications displayed on the GARC website should clearly represent the current public version.
Where a material correction or replacement is required, the public record should be updated appropriately.