Data publication in an open repository

Publishing Your Data: Benefits

Sharing your research data with the scientific community can have numerous benefits. By publishing your data, you can:

• Create a citable resource that can be easily referenced by others
• Increase the citation rate of your research paper
• Enhance your CV and demonstrate your commitment to open science
• Ensure that you and others can access, find, understand and reuse your research data
• Contribute to the global open science community and adhere to Good Scientific Practice

Things to Keep in Mind

Before publishing your research data, consider the following:

• Metadata: Enrich you data with metadata that is as precise as possible and necessary right from the data collection stage so that the data can be easily understood and (re)used in the proper context.
• Timing: Submit your data for publication as early as possible, ideally soon after data collection, processing and final preparation, and no later than when you submit your manuscript to a journal. Data repositories allow you to keep your data under a moratorium until your article is published (usually up to 2 years).
• Expenditure of time: Preparing your research data for publication can take some time, both on your side and on the repository’s side, so be sure to factor this into your project timeline.
• Costs: Depending on the size of your dataset (e.g. large amounts of data in terabytes) or the services required (e.g. specialized data curation), there may be costs associated with data publication. Be sure to plan and budget accordingly.

Best Practices for Data Publication

To ensure that your research data is properly published, cited and shared with the scientific community, follow these best practices:

• Include project information: Make sure to add the project names, affiliations, and award numbers in your data submission.
• Link to your related resources: Include a reference to your manuscript or journal article and, if applicable, to further related publications of data, software or similar in your data submission.
• Cite your data: Once your data is published, include the full citation, including the dataset DOI or accession number, in your manuscript’s reference list.
• Publish standalone data: Even if your data is not part of a journal article, you can still publish it in an open repository. Every dataset, no matter how small or specific it may be, contributes to the global open science community as it enables further research and comparisons. In addition, published data can be easily cited.

 Selecting the Right Repository for Your Data

When choosing a repository to share your data, it is essential to select one that specializes in your field of research. This will increase the visibility and reuse of your data. Here are some tips to help you make the right choice:

• Choose a domain-specific repository rather than a general repository, even if this means that multiple repositories will have to be used for a variety of data types. If you can’t find a suitable repository from our recommended list below, you can search the Registry of Data Repositories for more options.
• Specialized services: For complex biological data, consider using the submission service of the German Federation for Biological Data (GFBio). For social science data, the KonsortSWD-Helpdesk is available to provide support and guidance.

 Preparing Your Data for Publication

Before submitting your data to a repository, make sure to:

• Check the repository’s guidelines: Visit the repository’s information pages to learn about the types of data they accept, their requirements, and any specific preparation guidelines.
• Use provided templates: If the repository provides templates for data submission, use them to ensure your data is properly formatted and easily accessible. This helps to speed up the publication process.