Research data repository - Kunnskapsbasen
Research data repository
Here you can find information about where and how you can archive and publish (share) research data, as well as some things to consider before archiving and how to prepare your data.
Topic page about research data | Pages labeled with Open Data
Norsk versjon - Arkivere forskningsdata
Why archive and publish research data?
Research data might have use and applications outside the scope of the original project where they were collected. Publishing datasets could improve efficiency and reduce costs related to research, as well as open up for new types of collaborations and combinations of different types of data. Research data made openly available also contribute to reproducibility, validation and transparency in research.
At NTNU we have a policy for Open Science. The main principle is that research data at NTNU should be openly accessible, but with exceptions for security, privacy, legal or commercial reasons. In the National strategy on access to and sharing of research data from The Ministry of Education and Research, one of the main principles is that research data should be as open as possible, as closed as necessary.
Several research funders have expectations to projects they fund:
- The Research Council of Norway has a policy for Open Access to Research Data which applies to all projects they fund, and follows the open-as-default principle.
- Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, requires that research data be made "as open as possible, as closed as necessary". For more information, see the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
How do I archive and publish my data?
Archiving research data usually takes place after a project is complete, and must not be confused with storage of data that are (or may be) used during the project period. There exist a large number of data repositories where you can both archive and publish research data. A lot of these repositories assign a permanent and unique identifier (e.g. a DOI - Digital object identifier), and make sure that the datasets are indexed and searchable. Often, the archives have specific requirements for metadata, documentation and formats. It is therefore wise to consider which archive you should use, and start tailoring your data to the archive's specific requirements, as early as possible.
Choosing an archive
- We encourage you to choose an archive that is certified with the CoreTrustSeal, which indicates that the repository follows requirements for trustworthy data repositories.
- Check if there are relevant discipline-specific repositories related to your dataset and/or your research field. re3data.org is a registry of research data repositories, which is useful for identifying suitable disciplinary or subject-specific repositories.
- Some journals may advise on, or have requirements for, which archives should be used when submitting or publishing a research article.
DataverseNO - NTNU's own archive
If you do not know of any discipline-specific archives for your data, consider NTNU's institutional archive, part of DataverseNO. DataverseNO is operated by UiT The Arctic University, and members of Research Data @ NTNU help to curate submitted datasets. DataverseNO is certified with the CoreTrustSeal.
Zenodo is a general repository for research data, maintained by CERN/EU.
Sikt
In Norway, Sikt (previously NSD) offers an archive for research data. This is a trusted repository CoreTrustSeal and data can be published openly or with access control. In some cases, projects funded by The Research Council of Norway will be required to archive data at Sikt.
NIRD
Another Norwegian alternative, particularly for large data sets, is NIRD Research Data Archive, managed by Uninett Sigma2. This is especially relevant for projects and communities already using other services provided by Uninett Sigma2, as HPC and storage.
Archiving research data with personal information
If research data with personal data is to be archived for further research or other purposes, there are a limited number of research data archives available:
- Sikt Research Data Archive accepts qualitative and quantitative data about people and society, and offers various forms of access control.
- FEGA Norway accepts -omics data for reuse for research with access control through Data Access Committees (DAC)
- CLARINO accepts language data and offers access control and a wide range of licenses.
Remember that there must be a data processing agreement with the archive that accepts research data with personal data on behalf of the institution. Open archives such as DataverseNO, Figshare and Zenodo can be used for anonymous data, but the actual anonymization of data must be covered by the basis for processing. Note that archiving, sharing and anonymization are processing of personal data that require a basis for processing (consent or public interest) and information to the data subjects. For more information, see Collection of personal data for research projects. For archiving qualitative data, please see Making Qualitative Data Reusable – A Short Guidebook For Researchers And Data Stewards Working With Qualitative Data (Verburg et al., 2023).
REK archiving
Health research projects that receive approval from REK are generally required to store data for a certain period after the end of the project for control purposes, often five years or more. NTNU offers REK archiving in file stores with strict access control and high security. Data sets must always be compressed as a single encrypted ZIP file and be protected with a unique project password. Research Data @NTNU ensures that passwords and datasets are stored in two separate systems: the dataset (and any identifier key) is stored in a suitable storage solution at NTNU while the password is stored in a separate password manager. For more information, see REK archiving.
See also
Contact
If you have questions, comments or feedback, or need help to publish or archive research data, contact Research Data @NTNU through NTNU Hjelp. External users can send an email to research-data@ntnu.no (if you have an NTNU user account your request will be handled in the NTNU Hjelp portal).