Publish, archive and preserve

Archiving, preservation and publication are important stages of the research data lifecycle. Even though they are closely related, they all mean something different.

Archiving is the long-term storage of the final version of a dataset. The intended length of the term may be defined by policy and legal considerations or by the value of the data. For more information see How to Appraise and Select Research for Curation.
Preservation is the ongoing action to ensure the long-term usability of data. This might include, for example, creating copies of data in more sustainable file formats, backing up data in several locations, recording contextual information to help future users of data and recording licensing information.
Publication is research data that can be made public to allow access by others. This can be achieved through publication in a data journal or sharing via a data repository that will archive the content for the long term and provide a permanent identifier (DOI) for the dataset. Some repositories might have preservation processes in place to ensure that content is accessible as technology advances. Some might also offer different access permissions in order to place restrictions on data access.

Why publish and preserve data

Publishing and preserving research data for long-term reference and access is key to good research practice.
How to publish data

Data can be shared through designated repositories or through data journals.
Licences

Place a copyright license on data to ensure attribution and control what others can do with your data.
Data citation and access statements

Correctly acknowledge published datasets and point to data underpinning your publication.
Deposit in Pure

Deposit and publish research data with a DOI in Pure alongside your publication or separately.
Discipline specific guidance

Find out about good practices for research data management in your field of research.