Deposit & share data

How to select a repository

Does it adhere to FAIR Principles?

FAIR means that data publishing platforms should enable data to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.

The FORCE11 FAIR Principles (simplified here) are:

• To be Findable any Data Object should be uniquely and persistently identifiable (have an identifer, such as a DOI).
• Data is Accessible in that it can be always obtained by machines and humans, upon authorization, through a well-defined protocol.
• Data Objects are Interoperable (i.e., interpretable by a computer, so that they can be automatically combined with other data) if metadata and data use formats, language, vocabularies, and standards agreed upon by the community.
• Data Objects are Reusable if the above are met, if the data can be automatically linked or integrated with other data sources, with proper citation of the source, and have a clear machine-readable licence.

Cost

Is there a cost to depositing data? Is it ongoing? Are these costs budgeted for?

Discoverability

Are there adequate metadata fields to describe your data? Is the repository indexed by Google?

Persistent identifiers

Does the repository register your data to create a persistent identifier (e.g., a DOI)? These are necessary for citing your data.

Policies and licences

Are data use agreements and/or licensing (Creative Commons) clearly presented, to allow depositors to state explicitly up front what uses they would be willing to allow?

Scholarly impact

Does it track data citations or downloads?

Certification

It is possible for repositories to get certification (e.g., CoreTrust Seal of Approval) which indicates how well they preserve digital content. Although good to have, note that very few repositories have achieved certification.

Source: Selecting a data repository (Iowa University Libraries).