Making your research data available via the LJMU Research Data Repository can:
- Facilitate new research and collaborative partnerships
- Enhance the impact and visibility of your research
- Provide a safe and secure storage space for your work
- Offer a permanent and stable DOI for your dataset(s) if not previously published elsewhere
- Increase your citation and download count
- Promote, and enhance your academic reputation
- Aid compliance with Research England requirements for the next REF, as well as funding body and publisher mandates
Research data falls into several categories and includes:
- Observational: data captured in real-time, usually irreplaceable. For example, sensor data, survey data, sample data, neuroimages
- Experimental: Data from lab equipment, often reproducible, but can be instrument specific. For example, gene sequences, chromatograms, toroid magnetic field data
- Simulation: data generated from test models where model and metadata are more important than output data. For example, climate models, economic models
- Derived or compiled: data is reproducible but expensive. For example, text and data mining, compiled database, 3D models
- Reference or canonical: a (static or organic) conglomeration or collection of smaller (peer-reviewed) datasets, most probably published and curated. For example, gene sequence databanks, chemical structures, or spatial data portals
Research data can take many forms, including documents (text, Word), spreadsheets, questionnaires, transcripts, and consent forms; A/V files, photographs, and film; algorithms and scripts; contents of applications such as input, output, and log files; methodologies, workflows, and standard operating procedures; correspondence in both electronic mail and paper-based formats; and technical and research reports.
Data deposited to the LJMU Research Data Repository should be in an open file format wherever possible. The UK Data Service provides full information on recommended file formats for data sharing, reuse, and preservation.
Deposit your data via Symplectic, following the Data repository deposit guide (PDF, 376KB)
Important notes:
1. Ensure metadata is comprehensive to enable others to find your data
2. Include a readme file using the template LJMU template readme file (Doc, 30KB) detailing when and how the data was created, collected, and used. Expand any abbreviations in the readme file and make column or row names in spreadsheets self-explanatory or detailed in the readme file. The readme file should be in plain text and include the following information:
- Title of the dataset
- Contact details
- File name structure
- File formats
- Column headings for tabular data
- A short description of the data
- Any licenses or restrictions
3. Follow FAIR data principles when depositing your data, your data should be:
- Findable - data and supplementary materials must have sufficiently rich metadata and a unique and persistent identifier
- Accessible - metadata and data are always available and obtainable; even if the data is restricted, the metadata is open
- Interoperable - data exchange and reuse between researchers, institutions, organisations or countries is possible
- Reusable - data and collections have a clear usage license and provide accurate information on provenance
There is a wealth of expertise within LJMU on related matters such as:
For information on commercially exploitable data, contact the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation team.
For Intellectual Property (IP) issues, contact the Head of Knowledge Exchange for IP: Jane Townend.
