Submission Policy

Introduction

Only eligible Depositors can create Metadata Records for Datasets and Collections and deposit associated Datasets.

Submissions will be published only when they have been validated against minimum requirements and approved by an Archive Administrator.

Eligible Depositors

Reading Users are eligible to create Metadata Records for Datasets and Collections and to deposit associated Datasets.

Reading Users include:

• Current and retired University staff;
• University visitors or collaborators associated with a University research project;
• University-registered postgraduate students.

Permission to deposit Datasets

Datasets of a total volume less than 20 GB may be deposited by any eligible Depositor at any time without prior permission.

Any Dataset deposit of a total volume in excess of 20 GB must first be approved by the Archive Administrators.

Any Dataset deposit of a total volume in excess of 20 GB may be subject to a charge and must be agreed in advance with the Archive Administrators.

Deposits exceeding 20 GB in volume made without prior permission from the Archive Administrators will be rejected.

Anyone wishing to deposit a Dataset greater than 20 GB in volume should contact researchdata@reading.ac.uk in the first instance to request approval.

Terms and conditions of deposit

Any User who deposits data files into the Archive must accept the Archive’s Deposit Agreement. The Agreement is summarised below.

• The Depositor must be either: the owner of the intellectual property rights in any data files deposited in the Archive; or otherwise lawfully entitled to distribute the data files on behalf of each and every rights-holder in the data; or acting as an employee of University having declared all relevant information to allow the University to establish ownership rights and rights of distribution and publication in respect of the data;
• The Depositor must warrant that the Dataset does not to their knowledge contain any false or misleading information, does not breach any law, and that depositing the data does not infringe the rights of any third party, including any owners of copyright in the data;
• By registering and depositing the Dataset, the Depositor grants the Archive permission to manage, modify and distribute the Metadata Record and Dataset in accordance with the policies of the Archive and any conditions of access to the data files specified by the depositor.

Deposit of data in the Archive does not transfer ownership of the data or any rights in the data. All rights in the data are reserved by the rights-holder(s), including any moral rights under the laws of intellectual property, such as the right to be acknowledged as the creator or source of the Dataset.

File size

Data files may be uploaded via the Archive web interface. The Archive currently has a size limit of 10 GB per file for web upload. Some browsers have a file size limit of 4 GB on file uploads, and network connection speeds may also limit the size of uploads. If a Depositor wishes to deposit files larger than 10 GB, or experiences difficulty uploading files, they should contact researchdata@reading.ac.uk for advice on the options available.

Embargoes

Files in a Dataset can be placed under embargo for a specified period, so that the Metadata Record and file names are visible, but the file contents cannot be viewed or downloaded.

Files should not be embargoed for more than 12 months from the date of deposit, and the embargo should last no longer than the date of publication of any research findings that rely on or reference the Dataset, unless there is good reason for continuing to withhold access to data, for example, to comply with the terms of a commercial or sponsorship agreement, or to protect intellectual property rights pending commercial exploitation or patent registration.

Minimum requirements

A Metadata Record must be created for each Dataset deposited. The Metadata Record must be a valid record in accordance with the requirements of the Metadata Policy. A mandatory minimum amount of metadata must be supplied in order to create a valid Metadata Record.

To be accepted in the Archive and published, a Dataset must conform to the following requirements:

• Data files must be virus-free and uncorrupted. It must be possible to open all files, given the required software;
• Each data file or zip bundle must have an associated description that indicates its contents;
• Each file or zip bundle must have an appropriate access setting: Open, Registered users, or Restricted;
• Each Dataset must include at least one openly available documentation file. The recommended minimum documentation is a README.txt file providing a brief description of the Dataset, such as a file listing. A README file template is provided for Depositors to use;
• If any data files contain personal data, this must be declared in the Comments and suggestions field on the Publication Details page. An Archive Administrator will ask any Depositor submitting personal data to separately provide evidence that research participants have provided consent for the sharing of their personal data;
• Each file or zip bundle must have an associated licence statement which specifies the terms on which the data file(s) can be used. The Archive provides a selection of standard licences for open data and software, as well as an 'All Rights Reserved' option (which may be used, for example, where a dataset includes third-party copright materials), and the option to upload licences for restricted datasets.
• Archive Administrators will be the default authorising agents for requests to access Restricted data files; if the Depositor wishes to nominate an additional or alternative authorising agent, a valid email address must be provided in the Contact field.

Validation and approval of submissions

All submissions will be validated against the minimum requirements by an Archive Administrator.

If the submission is deemed out of scope of the Archive Collection Policy it will be rejected.

If the submission is in scope of the Collection Policy but fails to meet the minimum requirements it will be returned to the Depositor with a request for the required information/data.

The Administrator may modify metadata elements to correct minor errors, ensure consistency with Archive policies, and add administrative metadata, but will not make substantive modifications to descriptive metadata without the prior approval of the Depositor.

The accuracy and authenticity of the content of submissions will not be checked by the Archive Administrator and are the sole responsibility of the Depositor.

Once a submission has been approved by an Administrator it will be accepted into the repository. At this stage:

• The Metadata Record will be made publicly available in the Archive;
• The Metadata Record for a Dataset will be registered in the DataCite Metadata Store under the terms of a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) Public Domain Dedication, and a DOI will be assigned to and published on the Metadata Record in the Archive;
• The mandatory minimum metadata for a Dataset (Creator(s), Title, Data Publisher, Publication Year, DOI) will be fixed and cannot be modified;
• The data files will be passed into the archive storage data centres.

Exemptions from DOI allocation

A DOI will not be assigned to a Metadata Record if any of the following conditions apply:

• The Dataset is held outside the Archive and is not under the authority of the University;
• The Depositor has asked for a DOI not to be allocated to the Dataset, or only to be allocated when a given condition has been met;
• The Metadata Record describes a Collection.