UoR Research Data Archive

Access the Research Data Archive here

The University of Reading Research Data Archive is an institutional repository for the preservation and sharing of research data produced or collected at the University of Reading. We accept open and restricted datasets.

University research staff and research students can register and deposit data in the Archive. Up to 20 GB of data per project can deposited at no charge. Deposits greater than 20 GB may be subject to a charge and must be discussed with us before the deposit is made.

The Archive will enable you to comply with the University's Research Data Management Policy and any relevant funder policy for the long-term preservation/sharing of research data. In particular you can:

• create and publish an online metadata record for a digital and/or non-digital dataset;
• generate a unique permanent Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for your dataset, so that it can be easily cited and linked to;
• deposit digital data files and related documentation for long-term preservation and access;
• license your data and use access settings to control how your data files can be accessed and used.

More information and Archive policies can be found on the Archive Policies page.

If you have questions about using the Archive please contact us.

Depositing Data

If you wish to deposit a dataset or register data in the Archive for the first time and would like to book a preliminary consultation, please contact us. We will help you prepare your data and documentation files for deposit, and address any relevant considerations, including intellectual property rights in the data, issues of consent and confidentiality, how the data will be licensed, and embargo and access control requirements for the data files.

As an eligible depositor you can deposit Datasets up to 20 GB in volume at any time without prior approval and at no cost.

Deposits greater than 20 GB may be subject to a charge and must be discussed with us before the deposit is made.

Deposits of restricted datasets must also be discussed with us prior to deposit.

Guidance

We provide guidance on preparing for data archiving, available as a web page or for download. We recommend you read through this guidance before you contact us for a pre-deposit consultation or deposit data in the Archive. We also provide a Data Deposit Checklist (PDF), which you can use to check you have everything you need to submit an eligible and valid deposit.

When you have everything ready, you can follow our step-by-step Data Deposit Instructions (PDF) to submit your data.

For guidance on what file formats to deposit your data in, you can refer to our list of Recommended File Formats (PDF).

If you are not sure what documentation to submit with your data, you can use our README template (txt) to identify the basic documentation requirements for data being deposited in the Archive.

Data offered or submitted to the Archive will be assessed for eligibility in accordance with the Archive's Collection Policy. You can make a preliminary assessment of your data using the Data Selection and Appraisal Checklist (PDF).

Restricted datasets

We offer a service for archiving and providing managed access to restricted datasets. These are research datasets that meet the definition of Restricted or Highly Restricted information in the University's Classification Policy. They may encompass datasets containing identifiable information and data that have been de-identified where a higher risk of disclosure is considered to exist, for example through linkage to private databases, and/or where a there is deemed to be a higher risk of harm in the event of disclosure, for example because of the sensitivity of the subject matter. These datasets cannot be made openly accessible, but providing certain conditions are met, they can be preserved and made available to authorised users under a Data Access Agreement. There is an example of a restricted dataset in the Research Data Archive here.

If you wish to deposit a restricted dataset we will ask you to create a metadata record for the dataset according to the standard deposit procedure and to upload any public documentation files. You must transfer the restricted data files to us using secure University infrastructure. We will accession these files to a place of secure permanent storage in University infrastructure and will review and publish the metadata record and public documentation.

Access to a restricted dataset for research purposes can be requested by any researcher affiliated to a research organisation. The request will be reviewed by a Data Access Committee comprising the PI of the original study (or a nominated representative), the Research Data Manager and the the Data Protection Officer. If the request is authorised, we will arrange for the recipient organisation to sign a Data Access Agreement (See an example in the public documentation for this dataset.) The dataset will then be securely transferred to the recipient organisation for use by the authorised users.

We only archive restricted datasets where there is a documented ethical and legal basis for retaining the data and making them accessible to others. Participants must have consented to take part in the research on the understanding that data collected from them would or could be made available to other researchers. We cannot accept datasets arising from research where participants have been informed that data will not be shared with anyone else or will be destroyed by a given date. Providing you are transparent about who the data may be shared with, and for what purpose, and as long as appropriate safeguards are in place, it is possible within data protection law to maintain and provide access to identifiable research data on an ongoing basis for ‘archiving purposes in the public interest’ and for ‘scientific or historical research purposes’.

Please contact us if you wish to deposit a restricted dataset.

DOI Allocation Service

The University allocates Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to datasets deposited in the Archive under a DataCite DOI Allocation Agreement with the British Library. Under this agreement any University service may allocate DOIs to digital objects providing this is done within the terms of the contract and according to the University's DataCite DOI Policy (PDF). If you are a service owner and are interested in using the DOI allocation service please contact us.