Making research data repositories visible: the re3data.org Registry.

Area of Science:

• Information Science
• Data Management
• Scholarly Communication

Background:

• Research data management and sharing are critical for scientific progress.
• A growing number of Research Data Repositories (RDRs) exist, creating a complex landscape.
• Researchers require accessible, stable, and reliable infrastructures for data handling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the heterogeneous landscape of Research Data Repositories (RDRs).
• To present a typology of different RDR types (institutional, disciplinary, multidisciplinary, project-specific).
• To outline the features of the re3data.org registry and demonstrate its utility in identifying appropriate RDRs.

Main Methods:

• Indexing of research data repositories by the re3data.org project since 2012.
• Detailed description of repositories using the re3data.org vocabulary.
• Development of a typology for classifying RDRs.

Main Results:

• As of July 2013, re3data.org listed 400 research data repositories.
• 288 repositories were described in detail using the re3data.org vocabulary.
• Information icons were implemented to aid researchers in repository selection.

Conclusions:

• The re3data.org registry provides a valuable overview of the RDR landscape.
• The registry facilitates the identification of suitable repositories for research data storage and reuse.
• Understanding RDR typologies aids researchers in navigating data management options.