How to deposit

Only University of Edinburgh members with an active University account can log in and deposit data to DataShare.

1. Point a browser window to Edinburgh DataShare (link below).
2. Once there, click "Log In" (top right-hand) then click "Log in with Shibboleth".
3. Use your University login credentials to sign in.

Go to the Edinburgh DataShare repository to log in

If you are a visitor or collaborator and do not have a University login, you should request a University of Edinburgh Friend account which will then allow you to register with DataShare.

Apply for a University of Edinburgh Friend account

1. Click “Deposit Data” on the home page. Log in to your account if needed.
2. Select the Collection to deposit into. By default, most users only have access to the "Default holding collection", and we will move your item to an appropriate Collection after it is approved. Further guidance on selecting an appropriate collection is set out below.
3. Describe your item. Complete as many fields in the "Metadata" section as possible. Expand sections to add more information. You can"Save for later" at any time. You can return to previously saved items by clicking on "Submissions" (under the user profile menu, top right).
4. Upload your files. You can add files by dragging and dropping them into the browser window, or by clicking "Browse". You can see which files you've added under the "Uploaded files" section.  
   
   Include all the data files and documentation needed to make the data understandable and reusable. DataShare only accepts files, not folders. Please compress any folders (e.g. to ZIP or TAR files).
   
   NOTE: The current dataset size limit is 100GB. Deposits between 20GB - 100GB are too large to be uploaded through the web browser. If you have more than 20 GB of data to share, please contact the Research Data Support team to help with your deposit and/or discuss your archiving options.
5. Review your item. Check the item metadata, data files and documentation files, and correct any errors.
6. Choose your licence. The recommended licence is Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. International, but you may choose to provide another open data licence instead.
7. Read and accept the Depositor Agreement.
8. Submit your item. When your item is ready click on "Deposit" and wait for confirmation. An administrator will review your submission and email you if they need more information. Once your item is approved, a persistent identifier (DOI) will be issued.

All DataShare items (i.e. datasets) must be housed within a Collection. We will ask you to choose a Collection when we review your submission.

A Collection may contain more than one item (dataset) relating to a research area, theme or group.

Collections are further grouped into Communities which usually reflect projects, Schools and organisational units within the University. This structure helps users find and browse related datasets.

The hierarchical structure in DataShare is: 

Item >  Collection >  (Subcommunity) > Community

When submitting your data to DataShare you should identify a suitable Collection to hold your data. Browse the "Communities & Collections" tab (underneath DataShare logo) and expand to find available Collections. If none exists then we can easily set up a new Collection for you (see instructions below).

1. If an appropriate Collection for your item does not exist, send a message to the DataShare team (data-support@ed.ac.uk). Please provide a title, a description, and an image (optional), and let us know where the new Collection should be located.
2. A member of the DataShare team will send you an email confirming you have permission to deposit to the relevant Collection.

Our team can guide you through the submission process. If you wish to discuss your requirements, or how to deposit large files or a large number of files please contact the Research Data Support team using the 'Contact us' button.

 Please visit our checklist for deposits page before you begin.