Before you upload your data, you'll want to take some time to think about the various formats and types of data you have and the best way to preserve them and make them available to other researchers.
Some questions to consider:
- What format is your data in? Is there an accepted standard in your research community? If possible, select an open format, such as CSV, XML, JPEG, or JSON. Click here for a list of open formats.
- What type of data are you uploading? Is is raw data? Or has it been manipulated for, or modified due to, analysis? Do you want people to be able to reuse your data? If so, you may want to consider uploading raw data. On the other hand, if you are archiving data associated with a particular publication or study, you may want to upload your derived data.
- What does your data look like? If you are uploading tabular data, it should be structured in a way that makes sense. Column headers should be your data's variables, and each row should contain an individual observation.
- Don't forget the metadata! Metadata (data about your data) is helpful to include--though in a separate file. A separate metadata file can allow you to include comments, information about your data's units, to explain how you've treated null values, etc.
- You may have a number of different files to include your dataset. For example, you may have several data files, a metadata file, and a readme file. You can package these up together in an archive folder, such as a ZIP file. Although Zenodo will allow you to upload multiple files, packaging them together might make them easier to retrieve.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact library staff at repository.mods@nmt.edu.
This step-by-step guide has been adapted from the Wolbach Library at the Center for Astrophysics.
