Step by Step to Publishing Your Research Data on REFODAT

Publishing can either consist of the original Submission of a dataset in REFODAT or the Registration of a dataset in REFODAT that already exists elsewhere. The latter can be particularly useful if you use a subject-specific repository that does not assign linkable persistent identifiers or if you want to catalog all data publications of your research group in one central location.

Submit a Dataset in REFODAT

Step 1

Check whether REFODAT is the right repository for your research data. This guide provides an overview of criteria for selecting repositories. If you have any questions, please contact your local RDM office.

Step 2 – Clarify Legal Issues

Are you legally allowed to publish the data (copyright, data protection, and other third-party rights)? An overview of the topic of law and research data can be found at Forschungsdateninfo. There is also an overview of possible obstacles to data publication.
Select a suitable supported open license.
Do all authors agree to publish the data under these conditions and with their names included?
If you have unresolved legal questions, you should seek legal advice (e.g., from the legal department of your university).

Step 3 – Prepare Your Data

Carry out quality assurance measures that meet the standards in your professional community.
No non-anonymized personal data of living persons may be uploaded to the repository.
If your data is in a proprietary format, please also provide it in an open format suitable for long-term archiving (e.g., .csv instead of .xlsx).
To increase reusability, you are welcome to provide your data in multiple formats. Especially if you used LaTeX to create PDFs, it is advisable to also provide the source files to reduce barriers. These are easier for common screen readers to interpret, especially when it comes to formulas.
Only files (individually or as zip/tar) can be uploaded to REFODAT, not directories. Therefore, ensure that all your files are context-independent, uniquely, and preferably descriptively named.
Ensure that your file names do not contain special characters (except -, ., _ and spaces). Files in archives (e.g., contents of .zip files) are not subject to this requirement.
Document your data thoroughly in a ReadMe file (e.g., readme.txt, readme.md). In particular, present the original structural context of the data. You can also convert the file to .pdf format so that it can be displayed in the repository preview.
For large data volumes (>10GB), please contact us via the functional address refodat[at]uni-jena.de for the individual organization of physical data transfer.

Step 4 – Creating a Draft in the Repository

If multiple people are involved, first determine a suitable person to work with the repository. The dataset will be tied to this person’s user account, and queries from technical staff will go to their email address.

For optimal display, use a desktop computer or notebook.
Open the research data repository website in your web browser, log in, and then click on Submit.
To simplify submission, you can use an existing dataset as a template for your submission. To do this, enter the appropriate DOI in the input field to transfer the existing metadata into the REFODAT input mask. This is especially useful when you want to represent new work statuses or incorporate different work results from a group.
Use the input mask to capture metadata for the dataset. Our instructions for completing the metadata form provide detailed field instructions.
Click Save to create the draft.
You will now see a preview of your dataset. At this stage, only you, editors, and administrators can see the dataset.
If you want to make changes to the metadata, click Actions | Edit this dataset to return to the metadata input mask.

If you later decide not to publish the draft, please delete it under Actions | Delete this document.

Step 5 – Uploading the Research Data

To ensure a fast and uninterrupted upload, please use your institution’s wired LAN.

The upload of files with special characters in the name (see above) is disabled, so use simple file names.
Click browse in the gray file field in the center of your publication preview and select the file(s) to be published.
Alternatively, you can also drag and drop multiple files onto the gray file field at once. Only upload files this way, not directories.
The progress of the file transfer is displayed in the window at the bottom right. Wait for the server-side processing to complete. The upload is complete once the progress window at the bottom right disappears. This may take a few moments.
Repeat these steps with all your research data and any created documentation files. To delete erroneously uploaded files, use the gear icon next to the file name.
You also have the option to asynchronously load files that are already on a network-accessible server into the repository. Simply paste the URL into the field below Upload via URL and click Upload . The upload then occurs in the background, and you will receive an email when it is complete. Your browser window does not need to remain open. Downloading from Google Drive is not supported.
Now, select one of the uploaded files as the main file by clicking the gear icon to the right of the file name. If you for example choose a PDF or image file, it will be displayed in the preview.

Step 6 – Publishing

After publishing, the metadata and, if applicable, the released research data are accessible to the public on the internet, and you can no longer edit the files. The metadata of the entries are reused in various indexes and aggregators. Therefore, check your dataset carefully beforehand.

To review the metadata and uploaded files, you can invite other REFODAT users to view or edit the dataset via Actions | Activate access key.
If your data should not be immediately publicly accessible, set an embargo on the uploaded files by setting the “available” date to the end of the embargo period. Once a document has been accessible without an active embargo, an embargo date cannot be set retroactively. Accordingly, extensions must be made while an embargo is still active.
Click the button at the top right Start Publication. Confirm that you have read the terms of use and click Start Publication. You will receive a confirmation email.
The TKFDM editorial team will also be notified, and the editorial process will begin.
Publishing in REFODAT is prohibited if third-party rights are violated. We reserve the right to block documents in the repository even after publication if we become aware of such violations.
- Uploading personal data is not permitted. The data itself is checked at random to see if a personal reference exists or can be established.
- Data duplicates of datasets already created in REFODAT will not be published.
- If there are violations of good scientific practice, affected datasets will be removed from the repository upon discovery.
The quality check of the dataset addresses the following aspects
- Completeness of metadata
- Data documentation (e.g., through a ReadMe)
- File formats and organization
We will inform you of the review results, including specific revision suggestions, usually within 14 days by email. As long as the dataset is not yet published, you can edit it. You will receive an email once the dataset is released to the public.

Done

With the arrival of the confirmation email, the publication process is complete. A DOI has been created as an identifier for the dataset. If the email does not reach you within the timeframe specified above, please contact us at refodat[at]uni-jena.de with the link (e.g., https://refodat.de/receive/refodat_mods_00000042) to your dataset. The uploaded research data and metadata cannot be changed. However, metadata can still be rewritten or supplemented upon request to the functional address. It is also possible to create a new dataset with similar metadata via Actions | Create a copy of this record or to create a new version of the existing dataset with Create new version of this record, which will automatically be linked to the old one.

Registering a Dataset in REFODAT

You can register an existing dataset from another repository in REFODAT. Please note that you cannot upload any actual research data - nor any additional documentation files - in the corresponding entry, as you are only creating a reference to existing data (in another repository). If you want to add supplementary documentation to the existing dataset, use a separate publication in REFODAT and establish the link between the resources.

Step 1

Log in to the repository and click Submit.
Select "Register".
If the dataset already has a DOI, enter it in the field to retrieve the metadata from the associated data source.

Step 2

Use the input mask to add metadata to the dataset. Our guidelines for filling out the metadata form provide detailed instructions for field completion.
You will now see a preview of your dataset. At this stage, only you, editors, and administrators can see the dataset.
Click Save to create the draft.
If you want to make changes to the metadata, click Actions | Edit this dataset to return to the metadata input mask.
If you later decide not to publish the draft, please delete it under Actions | Delete this record.

Step 3 – Publishing

After registration, the metadata added in REFODAT for the registered data publication are accessible to the public on the internet and discoverable in various indexes and aggregators. Therefore, carefully review your entry.

To review the captured metadata and uploaded files, you can invite other REFODAT users to view or edit the dataset via Actions | Manage access keys.
Click the button at the top right Start Publication. Confirm that you have read the usage guidelines and click Start Publication. You will receive a confirmation email.
The TKFDM editorial team will also be notified, and the editorial process will begin.
Registration in REFODAT is prohibited if third-party rights are violated. We reserve the right to tag affected document metadata in the repository retrospectively if we become aware of legal violations.
- Data duplicates of datasets already created in REFODAT will not be published.
- In the case of violations of good scientific practice, the metadata of affected datasets will be tagged upon discovery.
The metadata quality check addresses the following aspects:
- Integrity of metadata from the data source. Only additions, not changes, should have been made.
- Metadata completeness
We will inform you of the review results, including specific revision suggestions, usually within 14 days by email. As long as the dataset is not yet published, you can edit it. You will receive an email once the dataset is released to the public.

Done

With the arrival of the confirmation email, the publication process is complete, and the dataset from another platform has been registered in REFODAT. If the email does not reach you within the timeframe specified above, please contact us at refodat[at]uni-jena.de with the link (e.g., https://refodat.de/receive/refodat_mods_00000042) to your dataset. The created metadata cannot be changed. However, these can still be rewritten or supplemented upon request to the functional address. It is also possible to create a new dataset with similar metadata via Actions | Create a copy of this record or to create a new version of the existing dataset with Create new version of this record, which will automatically be linked to the old one.