RDR policy

1.1 Who can deposit?

• To deposit and publish a dataset, at least one of the authors must be affiliated with the university or research center at the time of data acquisition and/or generation. In cases where no author is affiliated, datasets from authors with institutional authorization will also be accepted.
• It is requested that at least one of the authors have a unique identifier, such as ORCID, and that this information be included in the metadata.
• The publication in the repository will require validation from the technical contact of the institution according to the needs or operation of the entity responsible for the data (university or research center).
• The responsibility lies with the author to inform the principal investigator and/or project director and obtain their prior approval. Similarly, doctoral students will follow the procedures of their institution.
• Institutions may approve exceptional cases where there is a collective delivery from the institution itself or one of its units where individual authorship is not required. However, it is still necessary to indicate in the metadata the name of a person as the depositor and contact for the dataset.

1.2 What is allowed to deposit?

• Deposit and publication of research data are allowed. Research data are understood as non-theoretical evidence that underlies the conclusions derived from research and can be used to validate these conclusions. It can consist of quantitative or qualitative information collected during the development of research through experimentation, observation, modeling, interviews, information extracted from other sources (of which rights can be retained), or other methods. The data can be primary or derived from primary data.
• Any file format is accepted. However, it is advisable to provide data in non-proprietary formats to ensure broader use and for long-term sustainability reasons. The formats recommended and accepted are indicated in the table: "Recommended and Accepted Formats."

1.3 What is not allowed to deposit?

Research management systems are responsible for including information about datasets created within the institution, regardless of where they have been deposited. The Research Portal of Catalonia is nourished by the information provided by the CRIS systems of the different participating institutions and is, therefore, the instrument that serves as a catalog of the datasets of the research system of Catalonia.

• Datasets that do not comply with the requirements of section 1.4 of this regulation and for which only the metadata information is wanted to be available for reference.

1.4 What should a dataset contain?

• A dataset must include the files containing the data, associated metadata, descriptive documentation, rights, and the usage license.
  • The types of data and formats that the files should contain are described in section 1.2 of the Regulations.
  • Minimum mandatory metadata must be introduced following the established guidelines.
  • The mandatory descriptive documentation is a plain text file (README) that describes the content of the dataset.
  • The license must adhere to the requirements outlined in section 2 of the Regulations.
• Each dataset must have, at least, one designated contact to ensure, at least during the established preservation period, any requests related to it.

1.5 The size of datasets

• Deposits of datasets up to 10 GB are allowed by default.
• For datasets between 10 GB and up to 100 GB, a request must be made following the "Procedure for depositing datasets of more than 10 GB and up to 100 GB."
• Despite the limit of 100 GB, in these initial stages and to gain experience, larger datasets will be accepted. These cases need to have an express request signed by the university's vice-rector of research or delegate, or by the research centers' scientific director or delegate; as well as approval from the CSUC General Directorate following the "Procedure for depositing datasets of more than 100 GB."
• Regarding points 2 and 3, if any of the files within the dataset exceed 10 GB, it should be communicated to the CSUC to adjust the limit for an agreed-upon period between institutions. After this period, the RDR will return to the standard limit for uploading files up to 10 GB.

1.1 Who can deposit?

• To deposit and publish a dataset, at least one of the authors must be affiliated with the university or research center at the time of data acquisition and/or generation. In cases where no author is affiliated, datasets from authors with institutional authorization will also be accepted.
• It is requested that at least one of the authors have a unique identifier, such as ORCID, and that this information be included in the metadata.
• The publication in the repository will require validation from the technical contact of the institution according to the needs or operation of the entity responsible for the data (university or research center).
• The responsibility lies with the author to inform the principal investigator and/or project director and obtain their prior approval. Similarly, doctoral students will follow the procedures of their institution.
• Institutions may approve exceptional cases where there is a collective delivery from the institution itself or one of its units where individual authorship is not required. However, it is still necessary to indicate in the metadata the name of a person as the depositor and contact for the dataset.

1.2 What is allowed to deposit?

• Deposit and publication of research data are allowed. Research data are understood as non-theoretical evidence that underlies the conclusions derived from research and can be used to validate these conclusions. It can consist of quantitative or qualitative information collected during the development of research through experimentation, observation, modeling, interviews, information extracted from other sources (of which rights can be retained), or other methods. The data can be primary or derived from primary data.
• Any file format is accepted. However, it is advisable to provide data in non-proprietary formats to ensure broader use and for long-term sustainability reasons. The formats recommended and accepted are indicated in the table: "Recommended and Accepted Formats."

1.3 What is not allowed to deposit?

Research management systems are responsible for including information about datasets created within the institution, regardless of where they have been deposited. The Research Portal of Catalonia is nourished by the information provided by the CRIS systems of the different participating institutions and is, therefore, the instrument that serves as a catalog of the datasets of the research system of Catalonia.

• Datasets that do not comply with the requirements of section 1.4 of this regulation and for which only the metadata information is wanted to be available for reference.

1.4 What should a dataset contain?

• A dataset must include the files containing the data, associated metadata, descriptive documentation, rights, and the usage license.
  • The types of data and formats that the files should contain are described in section 1.2 of the Regulations.
  • Minimum mandatory metadata must be introduced following the established guidelines.
  • The mandatory descriptive documentation is a plain text file (README) that describes the content of the dataset.
  • The license must adhere to the requirements outlined in section 2 of the Regulations.
• Each dataset must have, at least, one designated contact to ensure, at least during the established preservation period, any requests related to it.

1.5 The size of datasets

• Deposits of datasets up to 10 GB are allowed by default.
• For datasets between 10 GB and up to 100 GB, a request must be made following the "Procedure for depositing datasets of more than 10 GB and up to 100 GB."
• Despite the limit of 100 GB, in these initial stages and to gain experience, larger datasets will be accepted. These cases need to have an express request signed by the university's vice-rector of research or delegate, or by the research centers' scientific director or delegate; as well as approval from the CSUC General Directorate following the "Procedure for depositing datasets of more than 100 GB."
• Regarding points 2 and 3, if any of the files within the dataset exceed 10 GB, it should be communicated to the CSUC to adjust the limit for an agreed-upon period between institutions. After this period, the RDR will return to the standard limit for uploading files up to 10 GB.

When publishing a dataset on RDR, it is necessary to define a license to inform users of the conditions for reusing the data. The use of Creative Commons (CC) licenses CC0 and CC-BY is recommended, following the European Union's motto "As open as possible and as closed as necessary" to enhance the discovery, understanding, and reuse of research data.

• The person depositing the dataset must select a license from a predefined list. RDR offers a full range of Creative Commons licenses, adopting CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) as the default license.
• The person depositing the dataset can choose a different license than Creative Commons by selecting "Custom Dataset Terms." In this case, they must describe the conditions of data use according to the chosen license.
  • Specific licenses for research data and databases provided by Open Data Commons: ODC-BY, ODbL, and PDDL, can also be used.
  • Specific licenses for software, approved by the Open Source Iniciative (OSI): GNU General Public Licenses, European Union Public License and MIT license, among others, can be applied.
• The metadata of datasets published on RDR are accessible through the OAI-PMH protocol and subject to the CC0 license.

• Open data. There are no restrictions on access, allowing anyone to view and download them. This is the most suitable option for publishing data that is not confidential, sensitive, commercial, or subject to other legal restrictions.
• Embargoed data. There are temporary restrictions on access. This embargo may apply to the entire dataset or part of it, making it inaccessible for a maximum period of two years. However, the metadata of the dataset will always be visible.
• Restricted data. There are restrictions on access. Researchers and/or institutions may consider restricting research data for reasons such as copyright, ethical concerns, or confidentiality. It is important to emphasize that the basic principle for research data funded with public funds is that data should be as accessible as possible and as protected as necessary. Nevertheless, the metadata of the dataset will always be visible.

To withdraw a dataset published in the repository, it is necessary to deactivate it. This means that it will no longer be discoverable, but its citation and the reason for deactivation can be consulted through the DOI. Under no circumstances can the DOI be deleted, as it is a registered identifier with DataCite and must be permanent over time.

• Deleting a published dataset is not allowed, but it can be deactivated. This action should only occur if there is a legal and/or valid reason.
• To deactivate a dataset, contact the person in charge of the instance, specifying the reasons. The institution, following its own considerations, will decide whether to proceed with the deactivation.
• Draft datasets that have been in the repository for more than 12 months are subject to deletion. Before this deadline, the person in charge of the instance will contact the contact person listed in the record to assess the status of the dataset and take appropriate action.

RDR currently does not accept:

• Personal data. Personal data that identifies or can identify specific individuals directly or indirectly cannot be introduced into RDR. Such data requires special protection and specific rules to avoid risks associated with its processing. Anonymized personal data can be deposited.

• (under development)