Data repositories

Data repositories are specialized online platforms designed for storing, sharing, and managing scientific data. They enable researchers to securely store their datasets and make them accessible to the broader scientific community.

Types of repositories:  

  • Disciplinary (subject) repositories
    • Specialised in a particular discipline or field – ICPSR, CESSDA (social sciences), PANGAEA (geosciences), OpenNeuro (neurosciences), GenBank (molecular biology)
  • National repositories 
    • Managed at the state level, often with the support of government institutions – Repo (National Data Repository), NDI (National Data Infrastructure) – under preparation 
  • Institutional repositories
    • Managed by the specific institution (e.g., university) – CESSDA, Dspace repositories 
  • Catch-the-all (multidisciplinary) repositories
    • Include data and publications across different disciplines – Zenodo, Figshare, Dryad 

 

How to find a data repository 

re3data.org – international repository registry

CoreTrustSeal – list of certified repositories

OpenAIRE – How to find a trustworthy repository (European Commission recommendation) 

 

Which type to choose?

In general, it is recommended to prioritize depositing research data in disciplinary (subject-specific) repositories, provided they are available for the given field and meet trustworthiness criteria. Such repositories ensure that data are more findable, interoperable, and reusable (due to standardized formats and metadata). Disciplinary repositories are often managed by reputable institutions (e.g., universities, research institutes) and are trusted by the scientific community. 

 

How to choose a trustworthy repository (what it should be able to do): 

 

  • Does the repository assign a persistent identifier (e.g., DOI) to your data? 

The data are then easier to find and cite. 

  • Does the selected repository provide open access to the stored data? 

Key feature if you want to share your data openly. 

  • Will the repository license your data? Does it make clear the conditions under which the data stored in the repository can be used? 

It is important that users of your data know how they can use it. 

  • Will the repository provide a metadata landing page for your data? 

Metadata help others find the data, find out what the data are, how to cite them. 

  • Does it allow for long-term archiving?  

It is important that the data can be stored permanently with the possibility of future access. 

  • Does it support storing different types of data? 

Key feature if you want to manage not only text publications, but also datasets, software tools, multimedia materials, etc. 

  • Does the repository allow versioning? 

If you update your dataset, you can upload the updated version as a new version to the original dataset. The new dataset gets assigned its own persistent identifier, and users can easily find out what the latest version is or what version was used in the original study. 

Section navigation: Research data