DTU Data in the details
In depth guidance for DTU Data.
This guide describes how to use DTU Data to create, organize, and publish research data.
DTU Data is DTU’s platform for publishing research data and supports Open Science and the FAIR principles. When you publish data, it is assigned a DOI, making it citable and findable.
The guide covers:
- what can be published in DTU Data
- how to create and manage your data (items)
- the difference between Projects and Collections, and opportunities for collaboration
The guide is aimed at researchers and is based on typical workflows in DTU Data.
Contact
Datamanagement DTU Library datamanagement@dtu.dk
What can be published in DTU Data
DTU Data is a tool for making research data publicly available and Findable, Accessible, and Reusable (FAIR). The primary purpose is the publication of:
- Data and material that support a publication and have value and interest, such as figures, media files, and code
- Data collections (databases) stored in DTU Data or elsewhere
- Metadata records – descriptions of data for files that cannot be made publicly available
What cannot be published in DTU Data
- Data containing personal, sensitive, or confidential information must not be uploaded to DTU Data.
- Peer‑reviewed articles, conference papers, theses, and post‑prints must not be uploaded to DTU Data. These documents should instead be submitted to the DTU Library for upload to DTU’s research database:
https://orbit.dtu.dk/
Read more about DTU Orbit:
https://www.bibliotek.dtu.dk/en/publishing/research-publishing
Publication is permanent
When an item is published in DTU Data, it is assigned a persistent identifier – a DOI (Digital Object Identifier).
The DOI provides a unique and permanent link to the item’s landing page in DTU Data, which means that published data cannot be deleted.
However, the system supports versioning, allowing changes to be made. Certain changes will generate a new version with a version‑specific DOI. All previous versions remain accessible.
See an example of versioning in DTU Data here.
In DTU Data, datasets are organised as items. An item is the unit that is published and assigned a DOI, and it contains your files and the associated metadata.
Create an item
You can create an item either by clicking directly on “Upload” or by clicking “My content” > “Items” > “Create new”.
- Click Create a new item
- Select a relevant item type (e.g. dataset, software, or model)
- Upload one or more files – or add a link to external data
- Fill in metadata (title, description, authors, keywords, etc.)
- Tips for each metadata field are provided in a pop-up when clicking the small “i” in the top-right corner of a field (see Figure x)
- Choose a licence
- Add a ReadMe file with file metadata
All items are created as drafts and can be freely edited until they are published.
Manage an item
From “My content”, you can:
- Access your items, projects, or collections
- Edit metadata and files
- Move items to or from projects
- Share drafts via a private link (e.g. with collaborators or for review)
- Delete drafts (unpublished items)
- Request more storage.
The initial quota for individual users and group projects are defined for each department by the DTU Data administrators. More storage can be requested by clicking on “Manage storage”
Publishing data
When your item is ready for publication:
- Click “Submit for review”
- The item is sent to a curator who reviews the metadata, provides feedback, and approves or rejects the item. Once approved, the item is published and the DOI is activated.
Note: Rejection of an item is simply part of the internal review process and has no implication for peer review processes or the possibility of publication. See the feedback and get back to us at datamanagement@dtu.dk.
Please note:
- Published items cannot be deleted
- Items can be updated – this results in versioning to ensure transparency of the data
- All previous versions are preserved and remain accessible. It is possible to cite specific versions using the version-specific DOI. The base DOI will always resolve to the latest version of the item.
Special options
An item can also:
- Contain metadata only (without files)
- Contain links to data outside DTU Data
- Have access restrictions applied (e.g. embargo)
As a standard items and collections cannot be deleted once they are published. It is however possible to create and publish new versions of an item or a collection by adding or removing files and editing metadata. The base DOI of a published item or collection will always resolve to the most recent published version. All previous versions remain public with a modified DOI. The version number appears on the items’ landing page
In extraordinary cases you can request deletion of published items; however, these will be evaluated on case-by-case basis. Furthermore, we reserve the right to keep the metadata of published submissions available in case there is no specific reason for deleting the metadata. The reason for this, is that it is against the concept of persistent identifiers, such as DOIs. All PIDs are available through OAI-PMH interface even if only to inform that the item has been deleted.
Contact datamanagement@dtu.dk for further guidance.
You can modify items and collections yourself from the “My content” page. Modifying certain metadata, such as title, files and linked content will create a new version of the DOI. All modifications will go through review again.
DTU Data has two ways of organizing data: Projects and Collections.
Projects
Projects are primarily used for collaboration and for preparing data prior to publication.
- multiple users can be added with different roles (collaborator, viewer)
- members can view, add, and comment on items in the project
- items can be private or published
- projects can be published, but no DOI is assigned to the project itself
There are two types:
Individual projects
- use the personal quota
- items are removed if the owner leaves the project
We recommend using individual projects e.g. for supporting material for journal articles and data supporting Ph.D. thesis.
Group projects
- use a shared quota
- items remain in the project
- metadata follows the project owner
We recommend using group projects for data publications from larger collaborations and consortia
External users can be invited via Figshare:
https://figshare.com
Collections
Collections are used to gather and present items after publication.
- can contain both your own and others’ published items
- do not change the content of individual items
- can be published as soon as at least one item has been added and are assigned a DOI for the collection as a whole (all items still have their own individual DOI)
- suitable for bringing results together in one place so they can be cited collectively
Comparison
| Function | Projects | Collections |
|---|---|---|
| Which items can be added? | Only those owned by project members | Public items from all of DTU Data and other Figshare instances |
| Private or public items | Private or public | Public items only |
| Visibility settings | Private or public | Private or public |
| DOI assigned | No | Yes |
| Versioning | No | Yes |
| Metrics | Views | Views, citations, Altmetric badge |
| Collaboration | Yes – invite viewers or collaborators | No – single owner/editor |
| Commenting | Yes | No |
Important
DTU Data is intended for the publication of research data and functions as a public catalogue of research data generated at DTU or by DTU researchers.
For sharing and collaboration on data in ongoing projects, please use other platforms managed by AIT.
Sensitive personal data and confidential data
If your data contains sensitive information, you can create a metadata record instead in accordance with the FAIR principles. In a metadata record, you publish metadata alone, without uploading and making available the actual files with data.
Open Researcher and Contributor ID - ORCID
It is recommended that all DTU Data users have an ORCID linked to their profile. ORCID is a unique researcher identifier that ensures the correct attribution of research outputs across name variations and institutions.
When your ORCID is synchronized with DTU Data, it is automatically included in the dataset metadata via DataCite. Published datasets can also be added to your DTU Orbit profile. Read our short guide. Please note that datasets in Orbit are not automatically synchronized to ORCID.