Publishing research data increases the visibility of your research beyond that of a text-based publication.
Publishing your research data ensures that it remains accessible and citable over the long term. Publishing supports an open scientific culture and goes hand in hand with the efficient use of research funds.
What are the options for publishing data?
- Subject - specific and interdisciplinary repositories
There are various databases available for searching for a suitable repository, such as re3data.org (for international repositories) or the DFG’s RIsources (for German repositories).
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Data journals
Data sets are typically accompanied by detailed documentation. Some data journals offer quality assurance through a peer-review process. List of data journals on forschungsdaten.org (currently only in german)
- In combination with a text publication
Some journals offer the option of depositing the research data for a text publication as a supplement. Some journals even require that the data be published simultaneously (e.g., PLOS ONE).
Research data may also be published subject to certain restrictions. Legal aspects such as data protection or planned patenting should be considered in advance. This decision-making guide by Schleußinger and Rex (2019) (currently only in german) provides initial guidance and information. Further information on reporting inventions is available from the Research and Transfer Department (currently only in german).
By enriching the data with metadata and accompanying documentation, research outputs remain visible even when access to the data is restricted.
Do you have questions about this topic? The University Library is here to support you as academics, researchers, and authors at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences, in close collaboration with the Research and Transfer Department (currently only in german).
