Why would I want to share my data?

You may wish to share your data because of outside requirements, but you may also wish to share your data for the purposes of promoting scientific progress. In either case, there are resources available at IU to assist you. 

Many funders or sponsors of research require you to share your data. It is important that you choose a sharing option that is compliant with any funder requirements, while also meeting security requirements. Security requirements which will vary depending on how your RCdata is classifiedProvides guidance on data storage, sharing, disposal & classification RC data is classified . Within this section, you can explore options and requirements for data sharing. In addition, an increasing number of scientific publications are requiring that data be shared as a part of publication. 

Depending on data use agreements, licenses, or contracts, other researchers may be able to use data that you have purchased, thus allowing for shared use of resources, especially within the Indiana University system. This enables others to conduct research using the same data, without having to necessarily make additional purchases. The Research Data Commons helps facilitate sharing and accessing data within the university, to relieve the burden of data owners from having to take the time to provide access to others. 

Additionally, sharing your data benefits researchers by generating new opportunities for collaboration by making it easier for colleagues to discover your expertise and work, increasing the impact of your research, and enhancing scientific integrity. Sharing your research benefits others by fostering public trust in science, encouraging a culture of openness and accountability, promoting scientific progress, and encouraging collaboration. It also helps to grow the economy, improve the integrity of the scientific and scholarly record, and accelerates the pace of discovery and scientific breakthroughs. You can learn more about the value and benefits of publishing your data through the RCCenter for Digital Scholarship Data SetsHow publishing data benefits others RC Center for Digital Scholarship Data Sets and the RCIUB Libraries Open ScholarshipBenefits to open data RC IUB Libraries Open Scholarship websites.

Indiana University is a member of HELIOS Open, which is a community of practice that aims to advance open scholarship within and across member campuses to promote a more transparent, inclusive, and trustworthy research ecosystem. To support Indiana University’s institutional commitment to this community of practice, you are encouraged to share your data to the extent possible, while still following rules, policies, and laws regarding data privacy.