Digital data

• Project website or informal sharing is not recommended for long-term preservation or re-use of data, because while informal data sharing can offer immediate storage and easy access, the long-term sustainability of data through websites is an issue manage and burden to accomplish. Furthermore, if the data is not open data, it is difficult to control usage and handle requests to access data.

• Funders, institutions and journals may specify where data should be placed in specialist data archives, platforms, or institutional repositories. These guarantee long-term storage and back up of data, alongside managed re-use. There are disadvantages, though, because for instance grant-funded subject repositories occasionally, that don’t have sustainable business models may shut down after their funding runs out, so it is important to have a plan ready in case this occurs.

• Self-archiving platforms allow you to upload your research data. These platforms allow for quick upload of data with minimal metadata requirements. They then receive a catalogue record, licence, and Digital Object Identifier for citation.

• re3data.org offer a searchable registry of more than a thousand data services. Many of the services are disciplinary, where it is possible to share specialized research data with relevant communities. They often have special features for disciplinary data. The data will be more likely to be seen of people that more easily understand them.
  
  Some examples of services that are not disciplinary are mentioned here

Global data repositories

• • Zenodo

Open to all kinds of data, but has a 2GB file size limit. This limit may increase to a much higher number. There is no upper limit to the total dataset size, though. Data can be either open or closed access.

• • figshare

Open to all kinds of data, but has a 250MB file size limit, if one doesn't pay for the service. Data can be either open or closed access. The first gigabyte does not cost anything.

• • The Dataverse Project

Allows uploading of data into a repository with a 10GB file size limit. Can select custom terms of use and granular control of file access.

Danish data repositories (for data that, for instance, by law has to be stored in a Danish registry)

• • PURE
  • Forskningsdatabasen
  • KB
  • Dansk Data Arkiver

Non-digital data

What do I do about Research Data Management if my data is not in a digital form?

• Non-digital data refers to data not readable on a computer
• Research funders expect non-digital data be treated as equivalent to digital data, including preservation, discover, and access

Although the focus of Research Data Management is on data created or stored in a digital form, policies on preservation and re-use also apply to data not created or stored in a digital form. Effectively this means data that is not readable on a computer. It should be stored for the same length of time and have a digital record published describing data and how to access it --including the provision of a persistent identifier to the data. From this, researchers should be able to discover and access it within legal, ethical, and commercial constraints regardless of its form – even if potential re-use is dependent on traveling where the data is held in physical form.