Prepare Your Data
Before you begin your research, it is important to take steps to ensure that your data will be easy to find, preserve, and reuse. Consult the resources on this page to help you get started.
Formats & Size
There are currently no limits on storage space; however, a storage estimate is required to prepare and accommodate your needs.
Researchers are encouraged to use sustainable file formats. Please see File Format Selection Guidelines for recommendations of sustainable file formats. Other formats are accepted at lower tiers of support. Tier descriptions can be found here. Have questions about file formats?
While there are currently no limits on storage space, there is an upload limit of 2GB per file. We can accept larger files on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you have larger upload needs.
For more details, see the "Formats & Tiers" section.
Metadata
Metadata encompasses the descriptive information about your research. This added information makes your research discoverable and able to be indexed. It also helps readers understand and interpret your data. The more information you can provide, the greater likelihood your data will be discovered.
Metadata Guidelines
|
Field Title |
Required? |
Prefilled? |
Completed by Researcher? |
1 |
Identifier |
Yes |
No |
No |
2 |
Title |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
3 |
Description |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
4 |
Creator |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
5 |
Department |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
6 |
Legacy department |
No |
No |
No |
7 |
Date |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
8 |
Coverage |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
9 |
Subjects |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
10 |
Geographic location |
No |
No |
Yes |
11 |
Language |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
12 |
Type |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
13 |
File format |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
14 |
Contributors |
No |
No |
Yes |
15 |
Permissions |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
16 |
Disciplines |
No |
No |
Yes |
17 |
Related documents |
No |
No |
Yes |
18 |
Citation |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Field Descriptions
Identifier |
Unique code assigned by the system to identify your work |
Title |
Short descriptive name of your work |
Description |
A longer account or abstract of your work |
Creator |
Your name and the names of any additional authors |
Department |
Your department and the departments of any additional authors |
Legacy department |
System generated field used when departments change names |
Date |
Date of publication |
Coverage |
Date range your data was collected |
Subjects |
Short keywords people might use to find your data |
Geographic location |
Location your data was collected, if applicable |
Language |
Language your work is in, if applicable |
Type |
Generic category of research (e.g., publication, data, image) |
File format |
Three to four letter file extension (e.g., .pdf, .xml, .csv) |
Contributors |
Any financial contributors to your work such as your granting agency |
Permissions |
Copyright status and any intellectual property restrictions of your work |
Disciplines |
Your research fields or subject areas affiliated with your research |
Related documents |
List of any associated file(s) with this file |
Citation |
System-generated, formal reference of your work |
Example Record
Identifier |
mus_0000000001 |
Title |
Unicorn Sightings in Nowheresville, Mississippi |
Description |
Text analysis of letters claiming unicorn sighting in Nowheresville, Mississippi between 2014 and 2017. |
Creator |
Bobby McBobface |
Department |
English |
Legacy department |
Underwater Basket Weaving |
Date |
2017 |
Coverage |
2014-2017 |
Subjects |
Unicorns, Fake Research, Example Record |
Geographic location |
Nowheresville, Mississippi |
Language |
English |
Type |
Publication |
File format |
|
Contributors |
Unicorn Skeptics and Believers United Foundation |
Permissions |
In Copyright |
Disciplines |
English |
Related documents |
Map.pdf |
Citation |
McBobface, B. (2017) Unicorn Sightings in Nowhereville, Mississippi. Available at: https://lib.usm.edu/fakemetadataexample |
Rights
In general, data is not subject to copyright protection, thus a NO COPYRIGHT – UNITED STATES statement should be used for data files. Publications typically are considered IN COPYRIGHT.
Researchers can pick between two standardized rights statements:
Have questions about copyright?