How can I archive data responsibly without creating confusing duplication across repositories?

Backing up research data is a critical part of responsible data management; however, doing so thoughtfully is essential to avoid creating confusing or conflicting versions across different platforms and repositories. At Indiana University, the goal is to help researchers implement a clear, intentional backup strategy that supports data preservation and risk mitigation, without sacrificing version control, discoverability, or compliance with sharing requirements.

A sound approach begins with identifying the authoritative version of the dataset. This is the version that is considered final, fixed, and ready for sharing or archiving, often tied to a publication, grant deliverable, or project closeout. This authoritative version should be stored in a designated repository, such as IU Bloomington’s RCDataCOREProvides access & preservation services for digital research data RC DataCORE or IU Indianapolis’ RCDataWorksRepository for preserving and sharing IUI digital research data RC DataWorks , or a trusted disciplinary repository that assigns a RCDOIMints DOIs for scholarly work deposited in DataCore & IUScholarWorks RC DOI and supports appropriate metadata. This becomes the version that others cite, discover, and request access to. Creating additional public copies of the same dataset in multiple repositories without a clear reason or consistent documentation can lead to confusion about which version is current or citable.

For backup purposes, researchers are encouraged to deposit a secondary, non-public copy of the dataset in the RCScholarly Data Archive (SDA)Storage services that enable short and long term storage for research computing RC Scholarly Data Archive (SDA) . SDA is ideal for long-term preservation and redundancy, but is not designed for public access or indexing. Storing a copy in SDA ensures that the dataset is protected from accidental loss or repository shutdowns, without fragmenting the dataset's public footprint. In this way, researchers have a reliable archive without creating a competing version that is publicly available.

RCIU data librariansContact information for IU Research Data Services Librarians RC IU data librarians and RCUITS staffConsulting and software tools to help optimize use of data storage options RC UITS staff can help design workflows that clearly distinguish between working versions, public versions, and archived versions of a dataset.