Typically, researchers are not equipped to take on the long-term care that data needs in order to remain intact and re-useable. Instead, professional repositories have the mission and technical capabilities to properly store and manage the data. This includes aspects such as fixity checks, format migration, and providing a persistent link. 

Repositories are generally either categorized as general-use, meaning they accept data from any discipline, or disciplinary repositories, which focus on a particular research field. A further distinction is an institutional repository which may accept data sets from researchers affiliated with that institution.

When determining  where to deposit your data it is important to consider where your colleagues are most likely to find and make use of your data.

The Dryad Digital Repository is a curated resource that makes research data discoverable, freely reusable, and citable with Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs). Dryad provides a general-purpose home for a wide variety of data types.

The Ohio State University Libraries is a member of the Dryad Community. Our institutional membership covers the entire university. All data publishing charges, including large file costs, will be waived for research data submissions made by researchers affiliated with The Ohio State University.

Contact the Data Services Team or the Scholarly Sharing Strategist for assistance with Dryad.

The most comprehensive index of data repositories from around the world. For assistance in locating or evaluating data repositories, write to datamangement@osu.edu.  

Questions to ask when choosing a data repository:

• Are your colleagues likely to find your data in this repository?
• What will it cost to deposit your data? How is the repository funded?
• Is your data stored in a format that is useful?
• Can you restrict who has access to your data, if needed?
• Can the data be found via a unique identifier (URL, DOI)? Does the repository supply one?
• How long will your data be retained? What will occur when that time is up?
• Are the rights of the repository, the depositor, and the end-user clear?
• Does the repository follow digital preservation standards (disaster recovery plans, file integrity checking, format migration, etc.)?
• Does the repository require adequate documentation for re-use?  

If you'd like assistance finding and evaluating data repositories, contact us at datamangement@osu.edu.