Share & Manage Data: Introduction & Overview

Sharing data can mean anything from simply putting contact information on your website (so users can request access to your data) to sharing your data with a repository that will make the data available on your behalf.

Why Should Data Be Shared?

You’ve just spent the last several years collecting amazing data and now people are telling you to share those data. What does that mean? Why is data sharing so important? This page provides basic information about the role of sharing data in the scientific process, and options for sharing. If you need information on data management and data sharing plans, please see Data Management Plans & Grant Support.

How is sharing data critical to the advancement of science?

  • Sharing data maximizes the value of investments in data collection. 
  • Sharing data demonstrates good stewardship of the time and goodwill offered by individuals participating in your study.
  • Sharing data provides opportunities for testing theories and using novel methods to solve problems. 
  • Sharing data allows for replication and extension of your results.

Sharing data should be a thoughtful decision, taking into consideration data confidentiality and privacy for research participants, promises made in your informed consent documents, your funder’s requirements for data sharing, and the ability for you to demonstrate the impact of your work. For more information see our page on depositing data.

How to Share

The best way to share is to deposit your data with a recognized repository where it will be made available and its use supported. Things to consider when choosing a repository:

  • Are there requirements from a project funder, journal editor, your university, or others to share in a specific place? 
  • Where will people look for data like yours? 
  • Does the repository accept and disseminate both public- and restricted-use data (if applicable)?
  • Will your data be well documented and easily found using the search tools on the site?
  • Does the repository preserve the data and migrate it as technology changes, so it will be usable for the foreseeable future?

Benefits of Sharing Data with ICPSR

If you have data related to social and behavioral sciences, ICPSR could be the perfect home! Here’s why:

  • ICPSR is a trusted repository with over 60 years of leadership in data sharing and preservation.
  • You can publish the data instantly or opt for professional curation to ensure long-term use.
  • The large catalog with robust search tools attracts researchers from around the world.
  • Detailed documentation helps secondary analysts understand how the data were collected, by and from whom, and when so they can evaluate the usefulness of the data for their project.
  • Rigorous disclosure risk review procedures and an application process for restricted data protect respondent confidentiality.
  • ICPSR tracks the impact of data sharing with metrics on downloads and related publications.
  • ICPSR provides a suggested citation.
  • A professional team is ready to assist you in making your data available!

Supporting Replication and Reproducibility

In support of replication and reproducibility, ICPSR encourages sharing of code or syntax used to analyze or extract ICPSR data, particularly through our self-publishing deposit options. Sharing code prevents unnecessary duplication of data and supports the archiving and preservation of research materials. Code should cite the specific ICPSR data used, including referencing the persistent identifier of the data. (Read more about how to cite data.)

If sharing code won’t work and you wish to redistribute ICPSR data in any form or include them in a new data product or service, you can request permission from ICPSR. ICPSR’s standard terms of use limit redistribution without written agreement.

FAQs

See all FAQs related to deposit and data management at ICPSR.