If you have any questions, please contact us at researchdata@wustl.edu.
Read more about the repository and the Data Services Team on the About page.
Who can deposit in WashU Research Data?
Students, faculty, and staff of Washington University with an active WUSTL Key can deposit.
What content can be deposited in WashU Research Data?
Any publishable research data set, including textual, tabular, geospatial, imagery, computer code, or 3D data files.
It is not intended for personal storage, works-in-progress, file sharing, or collaboration space. Please use Box.com, Google apps, or Microsoft 365 instead.
Deposited items must comply with the library and university policies.
⚠️ Warning: WashU Research Data does not accept confidential or sensitive information or personal identifiable information protected by state or federal law or by WUSTL policy. Please de-identify or anonymize your files or we can help identify a more suitable repository.
What file types do you accept?
We accept any standard file type available on the web today. We recommend using open, non-proprietary file types (e.g., .csv rather than .xlsx) to maximize the ability to read these files in the future.
If any of your files are larger than 5 GB, please contact us to manage the deposit.
How do I prepare my dataset for deposit?
Create a Readme.txt file that describes your dataset. You can find a template Readme.txt file and details on how to complete it in our guide to preparing data for deposit. We are happy to review your data and documentation and provide suggestions.
What is FAIR data?
FAIR data is data that is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. FAIR data facilitates the dissemination of knowledge by assisting humans and machines in discovering, accessing, and using research data. For more information, see the Guiding Principles for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable Data Publishing.
How do I submit my dataset?
Login to WashU Research Data with your WUSTL Key by clicking the Login button in the upper right. Once logged in, click Submit in the top navigation bar and select Dataset.
Follow the instructions on the submission form, providing as much information about your dataset as you can.
All deposits require acceptance of the non-exclusive deposit agreement.
After completing the form and uploading your files, including your Readme.txt file, click Submit at the bottom of the page. You will receive an email notification that your item has been received.
What happens after I make a submission?
Your work will be assigned a DOI and will be reviewed by a librarian prior to acceptance into WashU Research Data. We follow the CURATE(D) steps, a set of best practices from the Data Curation Network. We will contact you if we have any questions or suggested edits to your deposit. You will hear from us within 2 business days. The time it takes to curate your dataset depends on the size and complexity of your submission.
Read more about how we ensure FAIRness on the About page.
Can I make my work open access or add a Creative Commons license?
Absolutely. Select any Creative Commons license and other common data and software licenses when you submit your work. You can see the full list of license options on this page. If you need help selecting a license, please refer to the library's guide to Creative Commons and open licensing.
Will my work be indexed in Google?
Yes. WashU Research Data is configured to make works easily discoverable and harvested by Google and other web crawlers.
Can I get a DOI?
Yes. Works deposited in WashU Research Data can be assigned a DOI (digital object identifier), a service for Washington University users provided through the Washington University Libraries.
Can I add an embargo or restrict access to campus?
Yes. When uploading files in the File Manager, indicate the embargo expiration date (when the file(s) will be made available). You can set separate expiration dates for individual files, if necessary. Note, you may only set temporary embargoes. We will not accept deposits with long term or permanent embargoes.
To restrict files to campus (WUSTL Key holders), select the Restricted option when uploading files in the File Manager.
Can I see usage statistics like views and downloads?
Yes. You can view and export both view and download statistics from the item page. Usage statistics begin May 2023.
How can I make a change to or update my deposit?
If you need to make any changes to your deposit after it has been accepted, please contact us at researchdata@wustl.edu.
Can I delete my content?
Contact researchdata@wustl.edu if you wish to remove any your content. All withdrawal requests will be reviewed by library staff. In the event that an item is removed, the metadata for the item will be retained with a notation that the item was removed from the archive in order to maintain the scholarly record. The library reserves the right to withdraw your submission in accordance with the Libraries' collection development policy or under extraordinary circumstances, including those related to violations of copyright law, academic fraud, or harm to our community.
Can I include WashU Research Data in my data management plan?
Yes. Please consult the guide to managing your data for including information about WashU Research Data in your data management plan using the DMP Tool.
If you are not using the DMP tool, you may adopt the following language in your data management plan:
Research outputs will be preserved and shared with the public via WashU Research Data, an institutional repository managed by the Washington University in St. Louis Libraries that uses a cloud-based hosted repository service called TIND as its platform. TIND is based on the open-source Invenio software developed at the research institute CERN to manage its own scholarly output. TIND uses an OAIS-compliant approach to preservation, with redundancy backup, conversion to archival file formats, storage of archival packages on geographically separated servers, and fixity checking.
To support discoverability and citation, the Library curates submissions following the Data Curation Network (DCN) CURATED model and submissions receive DOIs minted with DataCite. The University Library will retain the deposits for a minimum of 10 years, and will archive redundant copies of the archival packages, containing the original submission information package, the dissemination information package, PREMIS-compliant metadata, and documentation of curation process using Archivematica.
Does WashU Research Data meet my funders requirements for depositing data?
Yes, if the funder permits deposit in your institutional repository. Some journals or funders require deposit in their repository or in specific disciplinary repositories. If you have questions about where to deposit, please contact us.
You can enter your search terms in the search box on the home page, then limit your results by creator, subject, data type (geospatial, tabular, etc.), and file type (csv, xml, etc.) on the search results page, or click Advanced Search for more options. Search results are sorted by relevance by default, but you can click the options button for more sort options.
For more information on forming your search query, check out the Search Tips page.
Not finding a work?
Login with your WUSTL key to see works restricted to institutional access only.
What is an embargoed work?
At the author's request, the files might be embargoed, or restricted temporarily restricted from public view until the embargo expires, when it will automatically be made publicly available.
How do I cite a dataset?
Use the DOI Citation Formatter to generate a citation from the dataset DOI in the format appropriate for your discipline or journal.
To add a citation to your reference manager (Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero, etc.) , click the Formats button in the record Detailed View page and download the citation format for the manager of your choice.