By: The NITRC Team (https://doi.org/10.18116/yd0f-2q69)

It is wonderful, exciting news when a researcher learns they have been awarded funding for their research proposal. And then the work begins.

Sometimes funding requirements name a particular data repository (or sets of repositories) to be used to preserve and share data. But if a specific data repository is not identified, choosing which one to share data with is important. With the 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy officially in place, selecting the right repository for your particular data is a decision that NIH-funded researchers have to make, and non-NIH-funded researchers interested in open data are choosing to make as well.

Fortunately, many resources have become available to help with this decision-making process. NIH provides guidance for Selecting a Data Repository, including a list of desirable characteristics of data repositories and a list of NIH-Approved Repositories for Sharing Scientific Data – on which NITRC is listed for neuroimaging data. Another resource is Nine Best Practices for Research Software Registries and Repositories: A Concise Guide. Here the authors describe an environment most conducive to researchers using software registries and repositories. In response, the NITRC team recently completed a gap analysis between these recommended best practices and what we offer, making adjustments to better meet their objectives. You can read our response in the NITRC User Guide here.

If you or your colleagues have neuroimaging data needing a repository home, please consider using NITRC and contact moderator@nitrc.org for more details.

Quarterly Newsletter Article from May 11, 2023