A compilation of questions that might help you. Can't find what you're looking for? Please contact us: forschungsdaten@uni-muenster.de
Research data are all those data that are collected, simulated or derived within the framework of a research process. They form the basis of published research results.
datastore is a service provided by the University and State Library of Münster (ULB) for publishing research data. With the help of datastore you can enrich your research data with descriptive metadata and publish the resulting dataset. The datasets are indexed in the search interface of datastore, on miami, the publication server of the University of Münster, as well as in KatalogPlus.
A dataset in datastore is a collection of files (the research data) in a specific format and their associated description in the form of metadata.
Both the University of Münster and various third-party funding bodies (e.g. the DFG) now require that all research data forming the basis of published findings be published, unless there are good reasons not to do so. datastore supports you in meeting this requirement.
All members of the University of Münster (e.g. professors, research staff, technical and administrative staff, research assistants) who are currently employed by the University of Münster, as well as all doctoral candidates (with or without current employment) are authorized to upload datasets to datastore.
To log in to datastore, you must have a valid user ID and be either an employee or doctoral candidate at the University of Münster. (Members of the Faculty of Medicine must additionally be members of the user group "e0mitarb". For further information and support, please contact the faculty's "IT Center for Research and Teaching").
Both publishing data in datastore and downloading published data is free of charge.
datastore is operated by the University and State Library of Münster (ULB).
The point of contact for all questions relating to datastore, the publishing of research data, and the management of research data is the Service Center for Data Management (SCDM) at the ULB Münster (0251 83-24000, forschungsdaten@uni-muenster.de).
For a data record, you can grant one or more persons one of the following four authorisation:
In datastore, a distinction is made between the person responsible for a dataset and authorized users: The person who uploads research data to datastore is always the responsible party for a dataset and has management rights for the respective dataset. Responsible parties must, among other things, confirm that the dataset complies with the current terms of use (https://datastore.uni-muenster.de/terms) and the curation policy (https://datastore.uni-muenster.de/curation) of datastore. Authorized users are persons who have been granted certain access rights to the dataset.
There are three ways to share content in datastore:
The research dataset (i.e. research data and associated metadata) published in datastore is stored on servers of the University of Münster in multiple replicates.
Published research datasets are stored permanently, i.e. indefinitely.
No. All research data is stored exclusively in the form how they are uploaded to datastore. Format conversion (e.g. to maintain the readability of outdated file types) does not take place.
All data generated as part of research activities at the University of Münster and forming the basis of published research results may be published in datastore, regardless of subject discipline, state of research, file type, or language. This includes both research data from scientists at the University of Münster and, where applicable, data from their scientific partners. Note: Personal or pseudonymised data may not be published in datastore. Anonymised data, i.e. information that cannot be related to a specific or identifiable natural person, may be published.
A maximum of 100 files with a total size of 5 terabytes (TB) can be uploaded for each dataset. Beyond this, there is no limit on the total amount of data per user.
If large data sets (e.g. several terabytes/TB) cannot be uploaded reliably via the web interface, a command line upload tool is available. This allows the data to be uploaded reliably, regardless of the browser. You can find the tool and a description on GitHub: https://github.com/ulbmuenster/upload2unimsrdm.
Yes. A command line upload tool is available for advanced users: https://github.com/ulbmuenster/upload2unimsrdm. This enables data to be uploaded directly from servers or network drives, for example, without the need to use the web interface. The entry of metadata and the final release of the data are still carried out via the datastore web interface.
Yes, this is possible to a certain extent. In addition to the command line upload tool, an API is available for automated workflows, allowing users to implement their own automation scenarios (e.g. file uploads). datastore is based on InvenioRDM, whose REST API is documented here: https://inveniordm.docs.cern.ch/reference/rest_api_quickstart/. There you will also find examples and technical details on how to use it. Please note that the Service Center for Data Management (SCDM) only provides limited support in this regard. The entry of metadata and the final release of the data are still carried out via the datastore web interface.
Yes. Every dataset is reviewed by the Service Center for Data Management (SCDM) before publication. The review does not include a content assessment or peer review. Please note the curation policy of datastore: https://datastore.uni-muenster.de/curation. It is limited to checking
When you select a CRIS project, selected metadata from the project is automatically imported into datastore as long as they are registered in CRIS and used as suggestions for the metadata of the research dataset. The imported metadata includes, for example, the title, abstract, funding information, and the list of people involved. Authorized users can additionally be selected. Of course, you can edit or delete these suggestions later in the publishing process.
If no projects relating to you have been stored in CRIS yet, this function is not available.
Yes. In datastore, you can continue to edit the metadata (e.g., title, description, or keywords) of an already published dataset without creating a new version. Modified descriptive metadata is reviewed again by the Service Centre for Data Management (SCDM). A new version (with a new version-specific DOI) is only necessary if you want to change or replace the files. For more information on DOI versioning, see here: https://datastore.uni-muenster.de/help/versioning.
No. Since datastore ensures, among other things, that the publication of research data meets the requirements of various third-party funding bodies (e.g. the DFG), it is generally not possible to delete datasets that have already been published.
The metadata of a research dataset published in datastore are always publicly available. They can be permanently accessed worldwide without restriction via various technical interfaces. From the time they are published, or after the embargo date has been reached, the files can also be accessed without restriction.
Yes, after publication of a research dataset in datastore, the dataset receives a globally unique ID (a persistent identifier) in the form of a so-called Digital Object Identifier (DOI).
After receiving the persistent identifiers, in form of the Digital Object Identifier (DOI), the metadata of the published research dataset are passed on to DataCite, the international consortium responsible for the allocation and administration of DOIs. DataCite makes these metadata available worldwide, which means that the published research datasets can also be found by external search engines (e.g. Google). Furthermore, they are imported into the datastore search interface and miami, the publication server of the University of Münster, and the KatalogPlus.
Yes. Datasets can be published under an embargo by specifying an end date and providing a reason. The embargo can apply either to the full record (metadata and files) or to the files only. During the embargo period, access is restricted accordingly. Once the embargo expires, the content is automatically made publicly available. The maximum embargo period is 24 months. Longer embargo periods may be granted in justified exceptional cases (e.g. ongoing third-party funded projects, patent applications, or publisher requirements). Embargo approval is handled as part of the curation process.
We support the principles of Open Access and Open Data. Therefore, only licences that comply with these principles are permitted for research datasets in datastore. An overview of these licenses can be found here: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Forschungsdaten/en/datenmanagement/publikation/lizenzen/index.html . Each research dataset published in datastore must be accompanied by a valid, internationally recognised licence. The designation of this licence is part of the dataset's metadata. In addition to the free licence model Creative Commons (CC), we also offer the free Open Data Commons (ODC) and Community Data License Agreement (CDLA) licences, which were designed specifically for data publications, as well as software licences such as MIT, Apache, GPL (General Public Licence) or Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). If you are missing a licence, please contact us: Service Center for Data Management (SCDM) at the University of Münster (0251 83-24000, forschungsdaten@uni-muenster.de).
No. Personal or pseudonymised data may not be published in datastore. Anonymised data, i.e. information that cannot be related to a specific or identifiable natural person, may be published.
The processing of personal data of the creator of a research dataset is governed by datastore's privacy policy. https://datastore.uni-muenster.de/privacy