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There is increasingly more demand for the data sets that underline research to be available. Funding agencies are requiring that research data be preserved, discoverable, accessible, and reusable. Journal publishers are also asking that the data sets that support the research findings in a paper be made available. As a way to address, data sets [no larger than 5GB per file] may be uploaded into INDIGO.
If you have sensitive data, INDIGO is not an appropriate place for the data. However, you may create a metadata only record, which will allow you to make know you have data that others can request from you for re-use, with the correct security and credentials. Please see Metadata Only Records for additional requirements for metadata only records.
Please note there are many data repositories available, including subject discipline repositories which may be more appropriate for your data. Consult the Registry of Research Data Repositories (https://www.re3data.org/) to explore other options for depositing your research data.
Research data from all fields, subjects, and disciplines at the University of Illinois at Chicago may be published and/or archived in INDIGO, provided the following conditions are met:
Please email indigo@uic.edu prior to writing the use of INDIGO into your grant data management plan to confirm there will be enough space available for your data and if INDIGO is appropriate.
Selecting Data
The first step to depositing data is determining what data to deposit. Research projects often generate a lot of data throughout the life of the project. It is not always feasible to deposit all the data from the project. When selecting data to deposit in INDIGO, you should consider:
In addition, you must address whether the data includes personally identifiable information and whether you have the rights to make the dataset public.
Please follow the FAIR Principles as you prepare your data for deposit. https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/
Formatting and Deposit Size
INDIGO will accept any file format. To facilitate basic preservation services, compressed data is discouraged (.zip, .gz, tar.gz). File format recommendations for preservation can be found in the Library of Congress Recommended Formats Statement (https://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/rfs/).
If you are working with proprietary or less-sustainable formats, consider converting your data to an open, widely-used format when you save and share your data. Many software programs allow for converting datasets into open formats (e.g. save SPSS dataset as CSV). This will better ensure that your data is accessible and usable by yourself and others and into the future.
There are some constraints on the size of files deposited:
File Names
File names should have meaning. This means that the content of a file can be identified based on the name of the file, in addition to indicating how it might differ from other files in the data set. Your files names could be based on important elements of your project such as: specimen, dates and times, location, testing conditions or variables, file visioning numbers, or other relevant information. If you have multiple files, as part of your ReadMe file (described below), provide an explanation of your file naming convention and / or a description of the contents of each file.
Some other consideration for your file names:
Preparing Documentation (README file, Data Dictionaries, data use policies)
README file
A README file will be expected as part of any data or software file deposit to INDIGO. A README file will provide context to your dataset, independent of any explanation that may be found elsewhere, such as in a publication or other web-based resources.
Cornell University has developed a template for creating README files that you may use to prepare your deposit for INDIGO.
Data Dictionaries
Data Use Policies
You can include information on any data use policies associated with the dataset. This may be a requirement of the funder or there may be expectations for using the dataset.
Metadata Requirements
As part of actual submission process in INDIGO, you will be required to provide metadata in specific form fields. This includes:
Optional fields include:
Requirements for Metadata Only Records
Please see Metadata Only Records for additional requirements for metadata only records.
Conditions for Deposit
Research data from all fields, subjects, and disciplines at the University of Illinois at Chicago may be published and/or archived in INDIGO, provided the above conditions are met. All submissions will undergo Curation Review before being permanently deposited to INDIGO. Curation Review is when UIC librarians review the submitted files. Curation Review focuses on how the submitted data is documented and organized for preservation and re-use purposes. If your submission is declined, it indicates that revisions are required before it can be deposited to INDIGO or that there may be a confidentiality or other concern. You will be contacted with information related to the required revisions. You may request the assistance of a librarian to provide advice on needed revisions. If you have any questions about this, please email INDIGO@uic.edu.
Having trouble with the INDIGO website? Email INDIGO@uic.edu
Need to increase your INDIGO space quota? Email INDIGO@uic.edu
Have a question about data management or documentation? Email LIB-DATA@uic.edu to ask a question or request a consultation with one of our librarians.
Learn more about data management at: https://researchguides.uic.edu/dataplans