IEDA

Procedure for depositing research data

For frequently asked questions see also FAQ page

Overview

NSF Antarctic Research Program require that metadata files, full data sets, and derived data products, must be deposited in a long-lived and publicly accessible archive.

USAP-DC accepts data submissions of research data resulting from NSF-funded Antarctic projects and provides repository services for these data including data publication in the DOI® system and long-term archiving. Note that for cases where there is an established disciplinary archive for your data type (e.g. IRIS, Genbank, R2R) we encourage you to use this archive and register the dataset links or DOI’s from this repository in your USAP-DC Project Catalog entry.

Data Submission

To submit data to USAP-DC, please use our “Deposit Dataset” webform.

After login, the submitter is asked to provide key information (metadata) about the dataset which will support the curation and long-term archiving of the data, search and discovery by others, as well as the context and background information necessary for future researchers to make use of your data.

Data Files

You can upload one or many data files as part of your submission. The data should be submitted using a common, open format to maximize later reuse, and descriptive filenames. See the FAQ for information on data formats. If you have a large dataset ( > 250 Mbytes), please contact us directly to arrange for separate data transfer.

Dataset Title

A dataset title and abstract are required with each data submission and are used to help others find data of interest in searches and browsers. A good dataset title is short but with enough specific details to help others understand and uniquely identify the nature of the dataset such as data type, location, temporal range, and field program. The dataset title will be a key part of the data DOI record which will be registered by USAP-DC for the dataset. This DOI record can be used to reference the dataset in publications.

NSF Award Number

The dataset will be linked to an NSF award, if one exists. We will also use the award number to link the dataset to the existing USAP-DC Project catalog page for the award.

Related Publications

If there are relevant publications (e.g. that describe details of the dataset) their citations should be included. If available, please provide the publication DOI, so we can link directly to the publication.

Readme Files

The submission form includes free-text fields for providing details regarding instruments, acquisition and processing procedures that will allow future users to understand and use the data. In preparing your descriptions, please consider what detailed information you like to see, if you were reusing the data.

License

Choosing a license for dataset use provides a clear framework for future reuse of the data. We make use of Creative Commons licenses for assigning terms of acceptable reuse. The default choice is CC BY 4.0, which allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator.
An alternative option is CC 0, which allows any reuse without conditions. Some journal publishers request either a CC BY 4.0 or CC 0 license for datasets supporting publications but other licenses options are available (for example, ones that limit commerical use).

After Submission

Submitted datasets will be reviewed by USAP-DC curators to check for data integrity and that the necessary metadata information is submitted. Usually, this takes 1-2 business days. Staff may contact you if we have any questions regarding your submission.

Updates

Using the “Edit” function, users associated with the dataset will be able to update dataset information, including adding a publication or publication DOI linked to the dataset. If a new version of the dataset itself is being submitted, it will be stored as a new dataset with a link to the previous version.

If you run into problems or have questions, please contact us.