Frequently asked questions¶

Here we answer questions that universities and researchers have asked us. If your question is not answered here, write to us at the addresses under Contact and feedback.

General¶

Who do I contact with questions?¶

Send organisational matters to info@datapublication.nrw and technical questions to support@datapublication.nrw. If your university wants to, its research data management (RDM) team can also review submitted datasets after training. See Contact and feedback.

Does a publication replace the retention of research data?¶

Not automatically. DataPublication.nrw is a publication service, not an archiving solution. We do not assess whether a publication with us fulfils retention obligations. The formal assessment lies with your university. See What is DataPublication.nrw?

Where are the data stored?¶

The application runs on servers of the University of Bonn. The files are kept in the storage of a statewide service. We do not use commercial cloud providers. The connection between your browser and DataPublication.nrw is encrypted. See What is DataPublication.nrw?

May I publish personal data?¶

DataPublication.nrw is not the right platform for personal data, and we advise against uploading them here. You may upload anonymised data if you comply with data protection rules and the data are adequately anonymised. Check with your university whether the anonymisation is sufficient. See What does not belong here.

Who reviews my dataset?¶

We do and, if your university wants to, its RDM team after training. After the review, the reviewers publish the dataset or return it for revision. As a submitter, you cannot publish it yourself. See Roles in DataPublication.nrw.

Publishing data¶

How large may files and datasets be?¶

No fixed maximum size is set for files or datasets. If a file is 10 GB or larger, or a dataset has 4,000 files or more, please contact us beforehand at support@datapublication.nrw. From these values upwards, a smooth upload can no longer be guaranteed for technical reasons. This is a rule of thumb, not a formal limit.

Can I group several datasets from one project in one place?¶

Yes, in two ways. Your university's space admins create a sub-space for the project, which a person from the project can look after, see Roles in DataPublication.nrw. Or you link the datasets through their metadata, for example with shared keywords, the grant number and references to each other. We can also move datasets into a sub-space later on.

Are ZIP files unpacked on upload?¶

Yes. A ZIP file with up to 1,000 files is unpacked automatically on upload, and the folders inside it are kept as a folder structure in the dataset. If a ZIP file contains more than 1,000 files, you see an error message, and the ZIP file is uploaded without being unpacked. 7z files are not unpacked. If you deliberately want to publish files in packed form, 7z is therefore a good choice.

Can I describe what has changed in a new version?¶

Yes, in the description of the dataset. Dataverse has a separate field for version notes, but it is currently not enabled on DataPublication.nrw. How versions come about is explained in the glossary under Version.

What happens to DOIs that already exist for our data?¶

We can take over a dataset with its existing DOI if we are allowed to manage this DOI at DataCite. There are two ways to do this: Your university transfers the DOIs to our DataCite account, or we store your university's DataCite credentials with us. We recommend the transfer. Before we take over datasets with an existing DOI, we test the import on the test system. If neither option is possible, the dataset receives a new DOI from us.

Open point

We have not yet decided in which field a previous DOI is recorded when a dataset receives a new DOI from us.

Logging in¶

The cause lies with your university's identity provider (IdP). It has to release the required attributes to DataPublication.nrw, including email address, name and eppn. The message reads something like The SAML assertion for "eppn" was null. Forward the error message to your university's IT department. For background, see Troubleshooting Federated Institutional Log In in the Dataverse Guide.

Why is my university missing from the list when I log in?¶

The list under Your Institution only shows universities that are connected to DataPublication.nrw. If your university takes part and is still missing, write to support@datapublication.nrw.

For universities¶

How does the onboarding work?¶

In four steps: You send us your materials, we design the pages of your university space on the test system, you sign off the design, and we put the approved design into production. See Onboarding in four steps and Materials checklist.

What is the test system?¶

Our test environment, recognisable by the TESTSYSTEM notice at the top of every page. It cannot be found through search engines. Data there are test data, and their DOIs do not resolve via doi.org. There may be maintenance work, during which data can be lost. So do not store any real research data there. During the onboarding, universities check the design of their university space there, see Sign-off.

The start page of the university space still shows the old version after a change. Why?¶

After changes to the design, your browser may keep the old version in its cache for days. Do a hard reload of the page: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows, Linux), Cmd+Shift+R (macOS with Chrome or Firefox), Option+Cmd+R (Safari). On a smartphone, open the page in a private tab. See Sign-off.

What are Designated collections on the start page of the university space?¶

These are the sub-spaces located directly in your university space, for example for faculties or projects. The list appears automatically as soon as there are at least two of them and shows them in varying order. Sub-spaces with the category Researcher or Uncategorized do not appear there. You do not need to maintain the list. New sub-spaces are created by your university's space admins.