- TTU
- IT Services for Researchers
- Researcher Handbook
- Initial Discovery
TTU IT provides resources to support researchers throughout the life of their human and non-human research projects.
Approved Software Tools by Category
| Category of Human Subject Research Tools | Name of Resource/ Technology | Details | Recommended Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Management Tools | Research Data Management System | Texas Tech University Dataverse Supported by University Libraries | Data Preservation and Management Over Time |
| Data Storage | Supported by IT Help Central | Secure Data Storage | |
| Supported by IT Help Central, Technology Support Services | Secure Data Storage | ||
| High Performance Computing (Very Large Data Processing) | HPCC Various Tools | Supported by High Performance Computing | Research – Large Data Processing and Modeling |
| Quantitative Analysis | Running R Jobs on HPCC Resources Supported by High Performance Computing | Statistical Analysis, Free for all Faculty, Staff, and Students | |
| Supported by Technology Support Services | Statistical analysis, $120 per year | ||
| Supported by Technology Support Services | Statistical analysis, $170 per year; Students Free | ||
| Surveying Tools | Not centrally supported | Surveying and Analysis for non-confidential data collection; Department/Researcher funds | |
| Supported by Technology Support Services | Surveying and analysis, Free for Faculty, Staff, and Students | ||
| Request Access to SurveyMonkey Supported by Technology Support Services, Technology Support Enterprise Systems | Surveying and analysis, Free for Faculty, Staff, and Students | ||
| Supported by IT Help Central | Surveying, part of Office 365 application set, Free for all Faculty, Students, and Staff | ||
| Video and Audio Collaboration – Virtual Interviews | Supported by IT Help Central | Synchronous Activities Automated Transcription; Break-out Rooms; Free for all Faculty, Students, and Staff | |
| Supported by Technology Support Services | Synchronous Activities internal and external partners; Free for all Faculty, Students, and Staff | ||
| Supported by Technology Support Services | Synchronous Activity – Groups; Free for all Faculty, Students, and Staff | ||
| Supported by Technology Support Services | Video Content Delivery; Recording Studio; Free for all Faculty, Students, and Staff | ||
| Microsoft Skype: Recordings | Skype for Business Recording Instructions Supported by IT Help Central | Synchronous Activities; Free for all Faculty, Students, and Staff |
Video Transcription and Captioning Contracted Services
| Vendor | Contract Number | Funding Source for Research | Pricing Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77 N Washington St, 2nd Floor | C17651 | Researcher |
|
Site Licensed Software
Additional software is available as part of TTU site license agreements. Visit Technology Support Site License Software for more information.
Open Source Software
Securing Open Source Software Act (2022)
The United States Securing Open Source Software Act: What You Need to Know
The Act begins by defining terms we in the open source ecosystem may find interest in reviewing:
- Open Source Software means "software for which the human-readable source code is made available to the public for use, study, re-use, modification, enhancement, and re-distribution."
- Open Source Software Community means "the community of individuals, foundations, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and other entities that:
- develop, contribute to, maintain, and publish open source software; or
- otherwise work to ensure the security of the open source software ecosystem."
- Open Source Software Component means "an individual repository of open source software that is made available to the public."
Open Source Software Challenges
Forbes, 2022
- Lack Of Accountable Parties: Open-source projects are often delivered for free and with no expectations on either end of the transaction. That means if there's a security flaw in the project, no one can be held accountable for that flaw. You can't exactly sue someone for a defect in a digital product that they gave away for free.
- Inexperienced Developers: Oftentimes, open-source projects are created by inexperienced developers who are looking for ways to gain industry experience before picking up a full-time job. This isn't always the case, but inexperienced developers do often lead to less secure projects.
- Busy Developers: Other times, open-source projects are side projects or hobbies of people who are committed to full-time work somewhere else. If there is a problem with the code, they may not be able to address it for weeks, or even months.
- Total Transparency: The transparency of open-source projects is a massive strength, but it can also be a weakness. When a bug is discovered, the entire community knows about it. If there is a massive security vulnerability, cybercriminals will learn how to exploit it quickly.
Guidelines (Forbes, 2022; CERN, 2022)
How To Use Open-Source Software Without Security Issues
- Choose the right projects. First, make sure you're choosing the right projects. Not all open-source projects are worth using; some are the product of more experienced, more responsible developers. Analyze the quality of the product and get to know the people who created it. And if there are multiple software options, compare them directly to figure out which one is superior.
- Analyze the risks and compensate for them. Every open-source project is going to come with some risks. Be sure to analyze those risks and find a way to compensate for them on your end.
- Tap into the power of the community. The open-source community is a huge strength, so take advantage of it. Ask lots of questions, work with experienced community programmers and contribute your own knowledge when you can.
- Track your dependencies. Keep meticulous track of all open-source dependencies in your software environment; these will be vital to address in the event of a newly identify security risk.
- Keep watch for patches, updates, and warnings. Stay plugged into the community to learn about new bugs, new patches, new updates and posted warnings. The sooner you act in response to these new threats, the better.
Virtual Interviews and Recordings
A note on human research virtual interviews and recordings:
While virtual interviews can be an efficient and secure way to collect human subjects' data, researchers must practice safe computing:
- General Tips to Secure the Session
- Recordings must be saved to the Zoom Cloud, and not a personal or institutional device. In order to access the Zoom Cloud, you must have an Enterprise license of Zoom.
Additional Information
Most software requires acceptance of an End User License Agreement (EULA) at the time of installation. Per Operating Policy and Procedure 72.09(2.b) and Regents' Rules Chapter 07.12, employees and students, as well as departments and units, do not have authority to sign a EULA or any agreement on behalf of Texas Tech. Software license procurements and all related contract documents are reviewed by the TTU Office of the CIO, Procurement Services, and the Office of General Counsel and are approved and signed through the Office of Procurement Services.
Licensing Caution
Many "Personal," "Free," "Consumer," and "Trial" type of software packages forbid installation on organization-owned systems, including on systems owned by Texas Tech, without legitimately acquired and approved software license(s). In some cases, software packages are licensed at the Texas Tech University System level (i.e., Oracle, Ellucian) for software shared among Texas Tech System component institutions; other software packages are licensed at the institutional (TTU) level (i.e., Office 365, Blackboard, Adobe), and some software packages may be licensed by a department for a few systems or users.
TTU has been contacted in the last few years by several software vendors requesting an audit of appropriate use and licensing of their software on Texas Tech systems. Any software package, installed on a Texas Tech owned device, that is not properly licensed through the System, University, or your department is a violation of copyright laws and TTU policies, and must be removed immediately. Additionally, we ask that you review software installed on institutionally owned systems in your area/department and ensure that all software is properly licensed.
For questions regarding software licensed for campus use, please contact TTU IT Technology Support Licensing. For additional information, you may also contact IT Help Central at (806) 742-4357 (HELP) or ithelpcentral@ttu.edu. If you have questions about the procurement and contract process, please contact TTU Contracting.
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