How to publish your data

If you want to make your data openly available to everyone, you can:

1. publish data through journal articles. This will be a limited dataset as you will face space constraints.
2. share data through individual data requests. This requires self-management of your dataset, including preservation and handling requests. You would also need to explain how others can use your data at each request. There are also no guarantees that users will cite your data.
3. publish your data in a repository. 

There are several benefits for your data when you publish it on a repository:

• Repositories can host large volumes of data. This means that you can publish raw data along with processed data. This gives your research more context and is a greater contribution to your field.
• Repositories ensure that your data is available under a license. This means that you can choose how users can use your data.
• Repositories ensure the long term preservation of your data. Once you have published your data, you would not have to worry about them anymore.
• Repositories issue a persistent identifier for your data. This means your data is discoverable online. This also means that you can provide a Data Access Statement if you publisher or funder requires one.
• When you publish data on a repository, it is a publication. This means that others can cite them as an standalone research output.

Steps to publish your data

Follow these steps to publish your data.

1. Choose a repository

The best way to publish your data is on a data repository. Use a trusted repository that suits your research. Cambridge researchers can use Apollo, the University of Cambridge Repository.

2. Make your data FAIR

Apply the FAIR principles to your data. This means your data is:

• Findable
• Accessible
• Interoperable
• Reusable

3. Document your data

Help others understand and reuse your data by including:

• a README file
• clear metadata
• descriptive file names

4. Use a clear licence

Add a licence to your data or code to show how others can reuse your data. Only do this if:

• you have the right to publish the data
• you are sure you will not want to change the licence or withdraw access later
• there are no plans to commercialise the data

5. Link and cite your dataset

Once deposited, your repository will give you a persistent link, such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Include this:

• in your journal article or anywhere else you want to cite your data
• in your data access statement
• in your reference list

If you cannot publish your data

There may be reasons why you cannot publish your data. Please see If you cannot publish your data for advice.

Benefits of publishing your data

There are many reasons why you should publish your data. Please see Why publish your data. We also have guidance on how to reuse data and make your data reproducible.

What data to publish

Please see our guidance on What data do you publish.

Help and support

If you have questions, or need help publishing your data, please contact the Research Data Management team.