Share and publish data

Why share data?

According to Umeå University's research data policy, you are recommended to make your data accessible in accordance with the Swedish Research Council's guidelines and the FAIR principles. By describing, and if possible publishing, your research data in an open repository, others can find your data and make use of it.

Open access to research data – vision and guiding principles (The Swedish Research Council)

Your research data should also be citable and traceable. Many funders, therefore, require you to prove you have made your data accessible. This is done using a persistent identifier such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). For example, when you share your data via the Swedish National Data Service (SND), your data is provided with a DOI.

Share data in a FAIR manner (SND)

Persistent identifiers for publications and research data

More reasons to share your data

• Research funders can easily follow up on their investment.
• Your research data can be cited, and your research is more widely disseminated, which can lead to more citations of your articles.
• Reviewers can check that your research results are reasonable.
• Other researchers can utilise and build on your research.
• Many journals require you to make your data accessible. By describing or publishing your data in a repository, you avoid having your data behind a subscription wall.

Some data must be restricted

Publicly funded research data should be made available according to the principle "as open as possible, as closed as necessary." Data that contains sensitive or confidential information cannot be shared openly. Instead, you can make your data accessible upon request. You can still publish a metadata description of your data in a repository and provide information on how to access your data.

Umeå University will assess requests for data

If a request is received, the University will review and assess whether there is a legal basis and the necessary authorisations to disclose your research data.

Which data must be restricted?

Examples of reasons why access to your data should be restricted:

• Your data contains personal data that cannot be anonymised.
• Some data are subject to confidentiality.
• There is material protected by copyright.
• Your data contains something for which you want to apply for a patent or for which you want to delay publication for competitive reasons.

Select a reliable repository

There are both general repositories covering many subject areas and more subject-specific repositories.

The library provides support in the SND catalogue 

The library offers support and service when using the Swedish National Data Service (SND) catalogue. In SND's research data catalogue, you can describe and publish data.  

Describe research data in the SND catalogue 

The national SND research data catalogue (SND)

Other repositories 

You can find in-depth information on different types of repositories and how to find a reliable repository that fulfils the FAIR principles here:

Select a repository

Prepare for accessible data

For others to understand your data, you must describe it fully and accurately using metadata. This makes it easier for you to reuse your data in the future and prevents them from being misunderstood by others. You can use a metadata standard to facilitate the process when describing your data in a repository.

Metadata

Metadata standards

Prepare datasets for publishing

When publishing your data, there are a few things you need to consider to ensure the long-term sustainability of your data.

• You can only publish stable datasets that are fully processed. 
• Use appropriate file formats to enable future use. 
• Make sure your data is documented clearly so others can interpret it. 

Prepare and share (SND)

Deposit your data (Oxford University)

Preserve your data for the future

You must ensure your research data is stored and archived long-term at Umeå University. The University's legal, archive and IT (ITS) specialists can help you identify and assess solutions for the final storage of your data.

Preserve data 

Contact us when planning to publish data

Contact us for guidance if you have plans to publish data. If you are considering patenting or otherwise utilising your research results, contact the Innovation Office first.

Contact the library

The Innovation Office at Umeå University