We are happy to announce that the Duke Research Data Repository (RDR) will be updating our platform to provide enhancements for data depositors. The platform will be implemented in partnership with Duke University Libraries and TIND, a spinoff of CERN (see the press release). Below we explain what you need to know about this change.

Timeline

• Starting on February 15, we will stop accepting new submissions to the repository. Deposit services will resume in early March.
• The migration is slated to occur during the week of February 23 – February 27.
• Updates to the migration timeline will be available on the RDR website.

Essential Things to Know

• Datasets will still be accessible for download during this system update and we don’t anticipate significant “down-time” for the site.
• After the migration is complete, you will have a new user experience, but the core services of the RDR will stay the same (see more below).
• If you are interested in what the new system will look like, check out the WashU Data Repository.

What is changing?

• Homepage: There will be a new landing page with slightly different navigation. All key documentation can be found under the “About” or “Resources” pages. You can still reach our site at research.repository.duke.edu.
• Links: While URLs will change for datasets, all DOIs assigned to datasets will continue to work. We always encourage you to use DOIs (vs. URLs from your browser window) as those are the most stable and persistent!
• Persistent Identifiers (PIDs): All datasets will continue to receive DOIs, but we will also provide more robust support for ORCIDs (for unique identification of people) and RORs (for unique identification of organizations/institutions) for better tracking of research outputs and to comply with upcoming PID funder requirements
• Metadata: We will now be integrating more DataCite metadata. Key metadata (descriptive information) will remain primarily the same; however, the form for describing your data will now have more built-in features for metadata standardization and compliance with best practices (see PIDs above).
• Dataset structure: All datasets will have a single landing page for datasets (no-sub pages as with the current platform). This may result in certain datasets being slightly remodeled (e.g., folders zipped) to accommodate the new dataset structure. No files have been changed and data integrity, reuse, and reproducibility were prioritized in this process.

What do depositors need to know?

• File upload: For smaller datasets, you will now upload your files directly within the web form prior to hitting the “Submit” button (vs. via a Box link in the current workflow). For larger datasets, upload will continue to be facilitated via Globus.
• Organization: Datasets will either need to be flat (no folders) or folders (if important to retain for access/reproducibility) will need to be packaged (e.g., zipped/tarred/etc) prior to upload.
• ORCIDs: To allow linking ORCIDs with datasets, we strongly encourage all dataset authors to have an ORCID prior to beginning a data submission. Go to the ORCID website to get your ORCID today!

What is new and improved?

• Submission dashboard: A new submission dashboard will allow depositors to track all current and past deposits in one easy location.
• Versioning: A new versioning module will allow depositors to more easily request the creation of a new version of their dataset. All previous versions will still be retained and the new version will receive a new DOI.
• File Previews: Previewing common file formats (e.g., tabular files, images, PDFs, zips) will now be available on the dataset landing page.
• Data Citations: You will now be able to copy data citations in a wide variety of citation styles.

What is staying the same?

• Curation by RDR staff: Datasets will continue to be reviewed by RDR staff prior to publication to help researchers make their data as FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) as possible.
• Preservation and retention: Data will continue to comply with the DUL preservation policy including redundant copies, fixity checks, and over all information security as required by Duke. Our stated retention policy also will not change.
• Globus download: For datasets over a certain size threshold, users will continue to have the option to download those files via Globus (in addition to the option to download over the web browser). If the “Download from Globus” button appears at the top of a dataset, we encourage using Globus as downloading large scale data over a web browser has some challenges (e.g., timeouts, etc.).
• Embargoes: Depositors can continue to request embargoes for up to one year and we can continue to facilitate access to embargoed files for journal reviewers. Embargoed file names will now be viewable on the dataset page but cannot be downloaded until the embargo is lifted.
• Collections: Project-specific collections will still be supported and can be requested by emailing datamanagement@duke.edu.

The RDR curation team is excited to bring you this new and improved system and look forward to continuing to support data sharing, curation, and reproducibility for Duke generated data.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions at datamanagement@duke.edu.