Dataset Submission

GRIIDC is unable to accept copies of journal articles, tables and figures from journal articles, or supplementary/supporting information that is published with a journal article in a dataset. Most journal articles and associated materials are subject to copyright held by the publisher. In order to avoid legal consequences that may result from distributing these materials GRIIDC will not accept published materials as part of a dataset.

GRIIDC urges all researchers to submit their data as soon as they are QA/QC'd and finalized. The Research Board for the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative has provided guidance that data collected or generated by GoMRI researchers must be submitted to GRIIDC within 12 month of the date of collection. This deadline for data submission is based on the Master Research Agreement which states that all data shall be fully accessible and posted with minimum time delay. For other funding programs, please consult the timelines provided in your contract.

Most file formats can be submitted to the GRIIDC data management system. However, GRIIDC encourages data providers to submit data in formats that promote re-use. Therefore, GRIIDC will generally not accept data submitted in PDF file format. GRIIDC promotes the submission of data in non-proprietary file formats whenever possible to facilitate long-term data storage and curation. For example, spreadsheets can be provided as csv or txt files. A dataset can include the same data in both proprietary and non-proprietary file formats.

The definition of what constitutes a dataset varies across disciplines and is determined by the community of interest. Usually a dataset is a meaningful group or collection of related data; data can be related because, for example, they were collected during a specified time period, at a specific location or because they measure a specific parameter. GRIIDC encourages scientists to share all the research data collected that another scientist would find useful.