Introduction
Research data can be published in trusted discipline specific repositories or on an institutional research data repository. The North-West University uses the Figshare platform for its research data repository on which North-West University researchers can publish their data.
Data sharing is mandated by many a growing number of funding agencies, foundations, and journals. There are many benefits of data sharing to individual researchers and the research community.
Sharing data:
Researchers should consider the legal and ethical issues involved in sharing (e.g. do they have consent to share participant data?). Please see more under Research Ethics
They should also consider the potential for reusability of their data, as well as whether outsiders will be able to understand the data. There are some potential drawbacks to sharing. Ensuring data is fit to share may be time-intensive. Others could misuse or misrepresent a dataset. Data released in the middle of a project may not have undergone sufficient quality assurance. There may be an overlap of publications if data are released during or immediately following a research project.