New Guide to Data Archiving and Sharing

The Wolbach Library has developed a guide to archiving and sharing research data. You can find it posted on the library’s website.

Why would you want to put your data on the web? First, archiving a copy of your data in another physical location–on somebody else’s server–is a great way to prevent a data loss disaster. Even if you’re careful about storing and keeping track of your data locally, you never know when a failing hard drive or a spilled coffee could ruin your day.

Second, your data will be more easily shareable and discoverable (should you want others to discover your data!).

Finally, your funding may require that you make data from your research available for others to find and reuse. Putting your data on an open repository can be a way to satisfy this requirement to make your data easily accessible.

There are a large–and growing–number of options available to you for data preservation and sharing. One of our favorites is Zenodo, which was developed and is managed by CERN. Zenodo is an online repository that accepts research products in many forms—articles, datasets, images, posters, software, and much more! Deposit into Zenodo is free and open: There are no file format restrictions, and files up to 50GB can be uploaded (though Zenodo will accept larger files on a case-by-case basis).

Visit our Data Archiving and Sharing page to learn more about best practices for data preservation and to follow a Zenodo how-to guide!