Share Your Data with Dryad

Do you have questions about how and where to share your data to be in compliance with NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy? This policy expects that researchers will “maximize appropriate data sharing.” The Dryad Digital Repository may be a good solution for openly sharing your datasets.

Dryad is a curated resource that makes research data discoverable, reusable, and citable. This international repository of data underlying peer-reviewed articles in the basic and applied biosciences was developed by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center and the University of North Carolina Metadata Research Center, in coordination with a large group of journals and societies. Dryad provides a home for a wide range of data types and is free to use for all Stanford-affiliated researchers.

Register for Our “Love Data Week: Dryad + Your Research Data” Class!

Tuesday, February 11, from 10 AM -10:30 AM on Zoom

Want to learn more about Dryad? Join us for a 30-minute session designed for researchers to explore the Dryad data platform. In this session, you’ll learn:

• When—and why—Dryad is the choice for your research data
• What to expect when submitting to Dryad, from start to finish
• How submission automation and curation save time and improve data quality
• How Dryad links datasets with publications and other research outputs
• The tools, guidance, and support resources available to you

Whether you support researchers or manage your own data, this session will highlight practical ways Dryad can strengthen your research workflow and data stewardship.

Dryad is free for all Stanford Affiliates. Dryad uses ORCID iDs for login. The first time you log in, you will be asked if you are affiliated with a member institution. After selecting Stanford from the drop-down menu, you will be asked to sign in using your Stanford credentials. On every subsequent login, you will only have to use your ORCID iD. Learn more about creating a Dryad account.

Key features of Dryad:

• Flexible about file format, meaning you can upload your datasets in whatever form they take. Dryad does not accept any files with licensing terms that are incompatible with the Creative Commons Zero waiver. See their help page for more information about preferred file formats.
• Automatically assigns digital object identifiers, meaning researchers will be able to easily cite your datasets.
• Curated by experts, meaning that somebody at Dryad will check to ensure your files can be opened, you haven’t inadvertently shared sensitive data, and that you have included sufficient descriptive information for another researcher to find and use your datasets.
• Contents are preserved for the long term, meaning your datasets will be accessible indefinitely.

Visit the Dryad help center for additional information about Dryad’s features.

How to Publish and Share your Data

To get started with a data set submission, log in and go to “My datasets.” Follow this submission walkthrough to prepare your data, create your submission, upload your data, and review and submit your dataset.

There are a variety of models and potential platforms for sharing your datasets with other researchers. Lane Library recommends Dryad as a way to openly share datasets that do not fit into more specialized repositories. For more information about Dryad, contact your liaison librarian and explore our Data Management and Sharing guide.