Selecting a Data Repository
A data repository is a place to archive and make publicly available research datasets. To select an appropriate repository take the following steps
Step | Note |
---|---|
1. Are you required to deposit in a certain repository? | Some funders and journals require or recommend datasets be deposited in their repositories. Check the specific requirements or contact us for assistance in making this determination |
2. Is there a discipline-specific repository? | If you have a choice of where to deposit, look for commonly used repositories in your discipline. Some repositories are geared towards groups of disciplines while others are specific to a specific kind of research. |
3. If there is no discipline-specific repository, select a general repository | There are several general-purpose repositories that can fulfill funder and journal sharing requirements. The choice often comes down to personal preferences. |
For a one-stop shop that addresses all funder, journal, and University data archiving and sharing requirements, consider ReDATA, the University of Arizona's Research Data Repository.
For archiving open access manuscripts, theses/dissertations, monographs, etc., please visit the Campus Repository. Contact Kimberly Chapman, Director.
Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories
To help you identify suitable repositories, refer to the table of desirable characteristics of data repositories.
Tools for Finding Repositories
Data Indexers
NAME | DESCRIPTION |
---|---|
Re3Data | Registry of Research Data Repositories. A worldwide index of data repositories. |
Fairsharing | A database of data repositories and related metadata standards and policies. Also useful for identifying metadata standards for writing a DMP. |
Google Dataset Search | Search for data across many data repositories and government websites |
Data.world | Collection of community contributed datasets |
Awesome Datasets | Collection of community contributed datasets |
Other Resources
- DataCite Commons allows for searching repositories as well as materials.
- Scientific Data's Recommended Data Repositories is a list of recommended data repositories by Nature's Scientific Data journal. All manuscripts submitted to Scientific Data must be deposited in an approved data repository.
- NIH Data Sharing Repositories is a table listing NIH-supported data repositories that accept submissions of appropriate data. Includes the Institute or Center, Repository Name, Description, Submission Policy, and How to Access the Data.
- American Heart Association Data Repositories (AHA) is a list of approved data repositories in support of the recently released AHA Open Science Policy. Subject-focused repositories, when available, are preferred over general repositories.
- Data Repositories (Open Access Directory)
Examples of Well-known Data Repositories
We created this table to help with writing DMPs but it's also useful for finding repositories at the publication stage.