Checklist for deposit

How do you know if you are ready to share your data? What do you need to think about in advance of depositing?

Before you deposit in Edinburgh DataShare you need to prepare and organise your material, and decide on a number of things. This checklist should help you preparing your deposit, thinking about and collecting information for your metadata, and deciding under which licence you want to publish your data in the repository.

 

Step 1 - Set up your account

Have you registered?

Have you identified a relevant collection for your dataset?

Log in to Edinburgh DataShare using your University login credentials, and wait for a confirmation email.

 

Step 2 - Group your files into datasets (items)

Are you depositing an individual dataset or item?

Are you depositing multiple datasets or items?

Think about the granularity of the data and supporting documents which make up your research data.

Decide on how to structure your research data. In some cases, your data will be composed of different files that belong to one dataset, but in other cases, your data would make more sense split into multiple of datasets. If you have a very large number of files, the Research Data Support team may be able to arrange a batch import for your data. Please contact us.

Our current size limit is 100 GB total per dataset. Items with a combined file size over 20 GB are too large to be uploaded via a web browser. If you have more than 20 GB of data to share, please contact the Research Data Support team to arrange a batch import and/or discuss your options.

 

Step 3 - Prepare your data

Have you structured and labelled your data in a consistent manner?

Which format(s) will you deposit to help ensure the broadest accessibility by others now and in the future?

Are there any standard, discipline-specific data formats? Does Edinburgh DataShare support those formats?

Have your data been created, edited or compressed with specific software?

Ensure your files are labelled as explicitly as possible, to help others make sense of your data.

Your file(s) should be future-proof and, if possible, not dependent on proprietary software formats. Among others we recommend: .csv, .txt, .xml, .tiff, .mp4, .jp2, .pdf (PDF/A). You might want to deposit more than one format of the same item (one proprietary, discipline-specific version, and an open-format preservation version of it).

Include detailed notes on any processes used to transform the data, e.g. which version of the software created the resulting item(s). If possible include which compression, codec and bit rate was used. This can be entered in the "Description field" associated with the file.

When you upload a file to Edinburgh DataShare whose filename extension (such as “.xyz”) is not found in our file format registry, the Research Data Support team is likely to ask you for some more information about the format. We might recommend you consider exporting files into supported file formats (the majority of these can be considered standard preservation formats) and deposit them along with your original files, to enhance the sustainability and accessibility of your research data.

Different disciplines produce data in different formats. Detailed guidance can be found in our documentation on recommended file formats:

Choose the best file formats

 

Step 4 - Prepare your documentation

Have you prepared documentation files for your dataset(s)?

Have you spelled out acronyms and explained the labels of your variables and values?

Have you included research methodology reports and any other relevant information?

This documentation should give adequate information about what data is included and how it’s structured. We require all data items to include suitable documentation, such as a "readme.txt" file containing basic information needed for others to reuse your data files.

 

Step 5 - Permissions and rights

Do you have all the rights to make the data available?

Have you received permission from all other right-holders?

Do you have data citations ready for any underlying "source" data (such as base maps)?

Have you sufficiently anonymised your data, or obtained explicit consent from any data subjects whose identity could be revealed from the data (including images)?

Are you aware of, and are you comfortable with, what rights you are passing on to the repository (University of Edinburgh)?

Make sure you can prove that you have all the rights to deposit your data in Edinburgh DataShare, and are aware that if the service receives proof of copyright violation, the relevant item(s) will be removed.

Make sure you have been given permission by all right-holders (data collectors, performers, people whose images and voices are present in the data) to make the data available on Edinburgh DataShare, and that all right-holders agree on the specific licence given to the data.

Make sure you are aware of the rights you are giving to the service through the "Depositor agreement" and the "Service policies" regarding retention, file migration and withdrawal of items:

 

Step 6 - Decide if an embargo is needed

Does your data item require an embargo period before it is made open access?

Depending on your agreement with your funder or your publication schedule, you may require an embargo. You can keep your data stored in the repository for up to 1 year before it is made openly available, longer embargoes may be considered upon request.

When an item is under embargo, the metadata record and file names are visible, but the file contents cannot be viewed or downloaded directly. However, the user can request a copy of a file(s) under embargo by using the request-a-copy form which opens up if they click on the filename or lock icon. The depositor will receive the request by email.

N.B. if you indicate only the year and month, then it is assumed the first day of the month is the date on which the embargo should be lifted. This may be confusing to prospective users, so it is preferable to specify the day, month and year of the Embargo Date.

 

Step 7 - Consider an open licence

Have you considered the use of an open licence for your data?

Do you know about the default open licence used for repository material?

Are you prepared to fill in a rights statement, if the "No licence" option is chosen?

You have two options at the licensing stage. The Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence is recommended by Edinburgh DataShare as this allows users in all jurisdictions to make use of your datasets, as long as they acknowledge your deposit.

  1. CC-BY 4.0 is written specifically for databases/datasets rather than creative expressions: Summary of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence
  2. Alternatively, select "No licence" and you will be prompted to fill in your own Rights statement instead.

Please be aware that as a service, we do not enforce the reuse of data according to either a CC BY 4.0 or any other license you may choose.

 

This article was published on