Finding a Repository
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      2. Finding a Repository

      Choosing Your Repository: Domain-Specific vs. Generalist

      This guide explains how to select the most suitable type of repository for your research data.

      Data Repository Types

      There are three main types of repositories that researchers can use for sharing data:

      1. Specialist/domain-specific data repository: Specialist data repositories accept scholarship from certain disciplines or on a specific topic. An example of this type of data repository is ImmPort, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
      2. Generalist data repository: Generalist data repositories accept any scholarship from any discipline. These include figshare, Zenodo, Mendeley, Harvard Dataverse, and OSF. Other generalist repositories are Vivli, which only accepts clinical data, and Dryad, which primarily accepts data from the sciences.
      3. Institutional data repository: Some institutions host their own data repository to encourage their researchers to deposit data. These are typically limited to affiliates of the host institution, so you should check if your collaborators are affiliated with an institution hosting a data repository. 

      In this guide, we will compare domain-specific and generalist data repositories. We will not be discussing institutional repositories, but they are another resource for data sharing that may be available via your institution.

      Domain-Specific Repositories: Pros and Cons

      Pros

      • Domain-specific repositories often include custom tools that help users search, combine, and reuse the data they contain.
      • Data curators in domain-specific repositories usually have more expertise in one particular type of data.

      Cons

      • There are many different domain-specific repositories, and it can be difficult to tell which has traction in your research community.
      • If your project includes multiple types of data, you may need to use multiple domain-specific repositories.
      • Some disciplines or types of data do not have domain-specific repositories.
      • Often these repositories don’t support very large datasets.

      Generalist Repositories: Pros and Cons

      Pros

      • If your project has multiple types of data, it can all be deposited into a single repository.
      • This type of repository usually requires simpler metadata than a domain-specific repository.

      Cons

      • A generalist repository offers less specialized support for your specific data type.
      • Datasets on a specific topic can be difficult to find in a generalist repository.
      • This type of repository can be expensive for very large datasets.

      Choosing Between Domain-Specific and Generalist Repositories

      If you are choosing a repository as part of your data management plan for a grant, make sure to first check any guidance in the call for proposals or funder documentation. This may direct you to a specific repository or give limits on what type of repository you can choose.

      If your field has a widely used domain-specific repository (for example, Gene Expression Omnibus for molecular medicine), you should choose that repository. This will make your shared dataset easier to find and use for others in your field. To determine if your field has a widely used domain-specific repository, get input from your colleagues or review data availability statements of other papers in your field.

      Generalist repositories fill in the gaps left by the domain-specific repository system. Often, they serve researchers whose field or data type does not have a domain-specific repository.

      Tools for Finding Repositories

      • NNLM Data Repository Finder: This tool is meant to help locate repositories supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for sharing research data.  
      • re3data: This is a global registry of research data repositories that cover a wide range of academic disciplines. re3data presents repositories for the permanent storage and access of data sets for researchers, funding bodies, publishers, and scholarly institutions.
      • Fairsharing: This is a registry of knowledge databases and repositories of data and other digital assets.
      • This comparison chart can help you determine which generalist repository fits your needs.

      Sources

      Bohman, Lena. “LibGuides: SOM NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy,” September 2023. https://libguides.hofstra.edu/c.php?g=1275561&p=9358324.

      Bohman, Lena, Marla Hertz, and Daria Orlowska. “DMP Course for Librarians.” Accessed April 29, 2024. https://ucla-imls-open-sci.info/dmp101/index.html.