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There are 3 ways to get data into Figshare: through the API, by importing from Github, or by uploading from your local storage.

(info) You can also link to data stored elsewhere by clicking the Link file button at the top of the metadata entry screen.

  1. If you have very large files (> 100 GB ea), or many files to upload, please contact SI-RDM at SI dot EDU to arrange upload via the API.

  2. If you have code, data, or related research outputs in Github that you'd like to publish as a zipped repository on Figshare,
    login, and under My data click on the Octocat icon next to the Create a new item button. 

    If you haven't already connected your Figshare account, but you are logged into Github, it will prompt you to authorize Figshare and enter your Github password. 
    1.  
    2. check the box next to the repo you want to import. Once a green checkmark appears next to the title of the repo, you're ready to add a description for it in figshare.
    3. click the green Add info link 
    4. fill in the metadata fields as you normally would.
  3. Most of the time you will just, log in and under My data click the + Create a new item button. The metadata editing window will come up. 

No matter how you upload data, you will need to fill in all the required metadata fields.

  1. Title - Please compose a meaningful title. If the data are for a specific paper/article published elsewhere, please start the title with Dataset: and either the name of the paper, or a meaningful title.
  2. Authors - you can add authors by typing in their names or pasting in an ORCiD. If your co-authors are not using ORCIDs in their Figshare profiles, give them a hard time about it.
  3. Categories - one minimum.
  4. Keywords - up to you.
  5. Description - you can reuse your abstract, if you have one, here. If you don't have an abstract, now is a great time to write one!
  6. License - the default for SI is CC BY NC, which is appropriate for SI assets (images, video) or datasets that have been analyzed and contain significant intellectual EFFORT besides just the raw data.
    1. Feel free to use the CC0 license if your data is raw or the data is from a (US) Federally funded project or if you (or the primary author) is a Federal employee.
    2. If you are uploading code, please choose the Apache 2.0 license.

If you are ready to publish, check the box next to Publish (at the bottom of the screen) and hit Save changes.

If you are not ready to publish, you can:

  1. Apply an embargo on the file(s) or both the files and metadata. You will be prompted to enter the period of embargo and a reason for why your data is being embargoed.
  2. Make files confidential before publishing.  The metadata will be public, but the file won't be. 
  3. Keep the data private (i.e., not published) and reserve a DOI. You can reserve a DOI with the above options as well.

(warning) Remember: figshare is for making your data public! embargoes, confidential files, and private items should be temporary.

Handy comparison of terms and what they mean

embargo (private)

embargo (published)

private (= not published)

confidential (private)

confidential (published)

embargo (private)

embargo (published)

private (= not published)

confidential (private)

confidential (published)

metadata is visible only to you and any collaboratorsmetadata is visible to anyonemetadata is visible only to you and any collaborators UNLESS you generate a "private link" to share, then metadata is visible to anyone with the link.metadata is visible only to you and any collaborators UNLESS you generate a "private link" to share, then metadata is visible to anyone with the link.metadata is visible to anyone
files are accessible only to you from the item editing window UNLESS you generate a "private link" to share. then files are visible and downloadable to anyone with the linkfiles are not visible to anyone, but accessible to you via the item editing window. countdown to end of embargo displays on item landing page. UNLESS you generate a "private link" to share. then files are visible and downloadable to anyone with the linkfiles are visible only to you (in "preview" link) and any collaborators UNLESS you generate a "private link" to share. then files are visible and downloadable to anyone with the linkfiles are not visible UNLESS you generate a "private link" to share. then files are visible and downloadable to anyone with the linkfiles are not visible UNLESS you generate a "private link" to share. then files are visible and downloadable to anyone with the link


(info) What's the deal with the Private Link? if you choose "Generate private link" in the item editing window, anyone ANYWHERE with that link will be able to view your files regardless of their publishing status. You can disable this link by editing the item and clicking the red x next to Generate Private link.

Use Private Link SPARINGLY.




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