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Research Data Management (RDM): Data Sharing

UCT Libraries Research Data Services provide guidance and support for all aspects of the data lifecycle, from planning your data management strategy during the proposal phase through preserving your data at the conclusion of your project.

The Benefits of Data Sharing

Data sharing refers to the practice where researchers make their research data accessible to users or other researchers.

Sharing data:

  • encourages enquiry and debate

  • promotes innovation and new ways of using data

  • leads to increased collaborations between data users and creators

  • increases transparency and accountability

  • enables scrutiny and validation of research output

  • encourages the improvement of research methods

  • reduces the time and cost spent on duplicating data collection

  • increases the impact and visibility of research

  • advances your academic ranking through increased coverage and citations

  • provides great resources for education and training

ZivaHub

Welcome to ZivaHub | Open Data UCT

 

ZivaHub: Open Data UCT is powered by Figshare for Institutions, an online platform for citing, sharing, and discovering research data. This is a brief user guide which takes you through the basic steps to activate your account and begin using the platform. Figshare for Institutions has a more detailed user guide to assist you further.

 

ZivaHub is a place to make all your research data citable, shareable, and discoverable. It’s a place to share your supplementary research to make them first class outputs. Share both positive and negative results and get credit for all your research. Access to ZivaHub here.

ZivaHub

ZivaHub runs on Figshare for Institutions - The all in one repository

How to Share Data

For researchers, there are a number of ways for sharing datasets beyond their own research teams.

  • Depositing data in a disciplinary repository
  • Depositing data in ZivaHub, the University of Cape Town's institutional repository
  • Publishing in a data journal
  • Submitting data with a journal article as a supplemental file or repository that the journal publisher requires/recommends
  • Using a personal or research group website, wiki, blog, or other web-based tool (note that these tools may be effective in the short term but should not be viewed as solutions for long-term sharing and preservation)

Early in a project, researchers should determine whether there are any institutional, funder, or legal restrictions that would prevent or place conditions on the sharing of their data. For example, in order to share some types of data, you may be required to develop a Data Use Agreement that is signed by the Office of Research. See the Data Use Agreement (DUA) Frequently Asked Questions page on the Office of Research's website for more information on this possible requirement.

Data Sharing and Management

Data Sharing and ManagementA data management horror story by Karen Hanson, Alisa Surkis and Karen Yacobucci. - 3 short acts - click here