Love Data Week Day Five: Share Data
Now that you have found out all the ways to love your data, it is time to share your data (your new love!) with the world.
Why would I share my data?
By sharing, you ...
- Increase the discoverability of your data
- Increase the possibility of reuse and citation of your data
- Comply with funder requirements
What data should I share?
The answer will depend on your discipline and purpose. Some journals, such as PLOS, require data sharing, but only the data (and workflows or code) relevant for the replication of all findings in an article. In other words, you might share a subset of your data for this purpose.
In other cases, you may want (or be required by a funder) to share and preserve all the data related to a project. And sometimes (such as when you're dealing with sensitive or confidential human subject data, data subject to regulatory requirements, or data subject to an information security agreement) you shouldn't share at all.
How should I share it?
Researchers have many options for sharing depending on requirements and their disciplines. We have a guide to the pros and cons of various sharing methods. RDDS encourages researchers to consider approaches that allow for the long-term preservation of your data. Our team is happy to consult with you about available options.
Where can I share it?
Many disciplines, funders, or publishers will have a preferred approach or designated repository for sharing data. If not, keep in mind that all repositories aren't equal. If you want long-term preservation, you should look for a repository or archive that follows the FAIR principles and preferably has been certified by a body such as CoreTrustSeal.
A few places to start:
