Skip to Main Content

Virginia Tech Data Repository: Poor vs. Better Documentation

Home

Poor Documentation

1. Title is too generic (“Dataset for manuscript”), does not reflect the dataset, and the descriptive information is lacking:

 

2. Could use more keywords for better findability (5-7 words recommended):

 

3. Non-optimal license for maximal reusability:

 

4. Files/Folders is not organized into the suggested format, filenames do not have descriptions, and the filenaming conventions are not uniform:

Better Documentation

1. Title is related to the manuscript, all of the authors are listed, and substantial description information is provided:

 

2. An ideal amount of keywords is provided for better findability (5-7 words recommended):

 

3. Optimal open license making the research reusable, reproducible, and accessible:

 

4. Files/Folders section is formatted correctly, descriptions are provided for all deposited files/folders, and filenames are descriptive and follow a convention:

 

5. All funding information is linked to the dataset:

 

6. Publisher’s name, corresponding author’s name, and author’s email address are listed:

 

7. All files are organized into folders and a ‘README’ file is provided for using the code (an additional 'README.rtf' file will be created by the Virginia Tech Data Repository containing the publication’s metadata for findability):

Helpful Tips

1. Fill out all of the required metadata fields and try to fill out as many optional fields as possible. The more information you give the more FAIR the data!

2. In the related materials field, include links to relevant articles, guides, manuals and other documentation that will help users interpret and use the data. Select the 'isSupplementTo' relation type for the manuscript DOI. Select the correct types for other supplemental resources in accordance to these guidelines: https://support.datacite.org/docs/contributing-citations-and-references

3. For item type, selecting 'Dataset' is usually going to be the correct option, with the exception of 'Software' for certain code uploads.

4. For the dataset's main description, using the abstract of the manuscript can be a quick, robust, and helpful way to describe the data overall.

5. When adding funding information, search to see if your funding number in our system so there can be a clickable link to your funder's valuable information. If it's not in our system, add the information as it is.

6. If you have questions about any part of the process of publishing your data, our data management and curation team would love to help you! Please feel free to email us any time: vtdatarepo-g@vt.edu

Contact Us