About our program
The Duke University Libraries provides a formal research data repository and curation program in order to help researchers publish their data and meet the FAIR Guiding Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable). Federal funders such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and scientific journals such as the Data Science Journal are committed to FAIR for both scientific integrity purposes and to encourage research innovation.
Duke Research Data Repository
The Duke University Libraries maintain the Duke Research Data Repository (RDR), which is a fully open access general data repository. We can help you:
- Share your data with the world with a digital object identifier (DOI)
- Increase your reach and impact through data citation
- Protect your work's future through long-term archiving and preservation
- Prepare and curate your data for open access (see below)
- Develop appropriate standardized metadata
- Make your data FAIR
Visit the Duke Research Data Repository to learn more. See also how we comply with the NIH Desirable Characteristics for Data Repositories.
Data curation services
All data within our data repository are curated by professional library staff. The process involves a review of a researcher’s data and documentation to ensure the data are as complete, understandable, and accessible as possible. Checks to the data package (data files and documentation) include:
- All files open properly
- No sensitive or restricted information is included (PII, PHI, proprietary information)
- Documentation is included that describes the attributes and content of the data as well as the context of the research process (i.e., data sources, programs, etc.)
- Arrangement of files to support reuse
- Transform file formats for longer term reuse (when possible)
- Identification of potential additional enhancements to the data package
Duke University Libraries is also a member institution of the Data Curation Network, which expands our capacity to curate data from a large number of disciplines and data types by accessing a network of curators across 10 institutions.
Other data repositories
Some researchers may wish to (or are required to) deposit their data in a disciplinary data archive or other external data repository. We can help researchers choose the right data repository (if one is not yet known) and work with the researcher and repository staff to ensure that the data package conforms to the repository’s requirements. See our checklist for help selecting a repository and preparing data for publishing.
If you work on a team and are looking for guidance on repositories for various types of scholarly materials, see the DUL Guidelines for Preserving and Disseminating Research Products from Team-Based Project.
Need help with repository information for a data management plan? We can help review a plan or provide you with boilerplate language for our repository!
Questions? Contact us today: datamanagement@duke.edu
