About The Hive

Welcome to The Hive: University of Utah Research Data Repository. The Hive is the University of Utah's research data repository provided by both the J. Willard Marriott Library and Eccles Health Sciences Library. It is designed to broadly disseminate the intellectual contributions in research and creativity produced by the University's faculty, staff and students to ensure its longevity. The submission of datasets to The Hive is free, except for your time in ensuring the data are in an appropriate format, filling in The Hive Deposit Intake Form, and creating descriptive metadata. The full requirements and process are detailed in the coming pages, and our data librarians and IT professionals will work with you to ensure that your data are preserved and accessible well into the future.

For background, a data repository is, according to the Registry of Research Data Repositories, a “sustainable information infrastructure which provides long-term storage and access to research data that is the basis for a scholarly publication.” We would extend the definition to include datasets that are not a basis for scholarly publication, such as negative data.

The following sections contain eligibility requirements, a comprehensive FAQ section, and terms of use. For a step by step guide to submitting data with The Hive, please visit Submit Data.

Why Share your Data?

  • Meet data sharing requirements
  • Increase scientific transparency & reproducibility
  • Foster collaboration and impact across the global research community

Why Share your Data with The Hive?

  • Archival data storage is guaranteed for at least 10 years.
  • It meets funding agency requirements and journal editors' requirements.
    • Every dataset submitted to The Hive receives a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and suggested data citation for you to submit with your manuscript. The DOI facilitates linking between publications and the underlying datasets.
  • It fulfills University requirements. The University of Utah requires researchers to preserve their data for a minimum of 3 years (and for some projects longer) after the close-out of the project.
  • Depositors receive support and curation services from the University of Utah's data librarians.
  • In most cases, it is free to deposit data into The Hive.

Deposit Requirements

  • Data must be created by University of Utah researchers (i.e., students, postdocs, faculty, or staff). If your data were created by investigators at multiple institutions, the University of Utah–affiliated researcher must facilitate the deposit and sign the deposit agreement.
  • Data must be made publicly available no later than 1 year after deposit. Depositors may choose to make their data immediately available or to embargo their data for up to 1 year.
    • Note: In cases where the data deposited are associated with a federally funded project, embargoes will not be accepted.
  • The data must not contain any private, confidential, or sensitive information and must be shared under a Creative Commons license.
    • Note: We do offer an “other” license option in our intake form for you to fill in with other licenses (e.g. MIT, GNU General Public License [GPLv3], Apache License 2.0)
  • The data must include adequate documentation to facilitate discover and reuse. This includes following relevant repository standards and FAIR principles (e.g., the use of controlled vocabularies for subject terms, standard date formatting, a thorough README document, persistent identifiers such as ORCIDs and DOIs, etc.).

For questions about these requirements, contact mlib-data@lists.utah.edu.

For more information about depositing data to The Hive, please continue reading or visit Submit Data.

FAQs

  • What kinds of materials can I deposit into The Hive?

    The Hive accepts research data from all disciplines, where research data are defined broadly to include any materials that contribute to the validation of research findings. This includes qualitative and quantitative data, images, audio, video, GIS data and shape files, simulation data, and more. Documentation should accompany datasets deposited in The Hive, including all files necessary to understand and interpret the research data (e.g., README files, code, protocols, codebooks, surveys, etc.). The Hive is not the appropriate repository for publications, monographs, or non-data related forms of scholarship. These forms of scholarship can be deposited in USpace.

    Note: The Hive cannot accommodate sensitive or restricted data of any kind or datasets that exceed 1TB. If you have any questions about the eligibility of your materials, please contact mlib-data@lists.utah.edu.

  • Who can submit data to The Hive?

    Faculty, postdocs, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students at the University of Utah can submit data to The Hive. We also accept data that has been collected as part of cross-institutional collaborations as long as at least one PI is currently affiliated with the University of Utah. Contact mlib-data@lists.utah.edu about providing access to The Hive for your collaborators.

  • What is the difference between The Hive and USpace?

    The Hive is a repository for datasets and associated documentation. USpace is for publications including journal publications, posters, technical reports, theses, and dissertations.

  • Is there a file size limit that The Hive can accept?

    The Hive's size limit for individual files is 50GB with a maximum deposit of 1TB per deposit. You may upload no more than 100 files per deposit. Refer to Submit Data or contact us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu for assistance with larger files.

  • Is The Hive the right place to store my data?

    Possibly. There several options for archiving data that can help you fulfill federal grant mandates and publish your data. It is a best practice to prioritize repositories recommended or required by your funder or publisher first, followed by subject-specific repositories as this will allow your data to have greater visibility to the researchers interested in your work. If these options are not applicable or do not meet your needs, an institutional repository, such as The Hive, is likely the right place to store your data. For additional guidance and a walk-through of the repository selection process, see our guide, Repositories for Research Data). For assistance determining if a discipline-specific repository exists in your field and if it will meet your needs, contact us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu.

  • What if I want to submit my data elsewhere?

    Where you store your data is entirely up to you and the requirements of your funder or publisher. There are many other data repositories out there, including ones for specific disciplines and discipline-agnostic options. These other repositories, however, may not provide the same benefits as The Hive. A detailed description of The Hive's benefits are provided in subsequent sections of this FAQ.

  • What does it cost to submit my data to The Hive?

    Currently, there is no charge to submit to The Hive. The only cost to you is your time in preparing the data, metadata, and README file.

  • Does The Hive fulfill my funding agency's or journal's requirements for data sharing?

    Yes! One of the benefits of using The Hive is that we can help you fulfill funding agency and journal requirements to make your data publicly accessible. Most, if not all, federal agencies and foundations require researchers to share their data. Additionally, including The Hive in your data management and sharing plan (DMSP) may strengthen your proposal and make you more competitive for funding.

    Note: Funding agency and journal requirements are updated regularly. Specifically, the length of dataset retention, scope of the repository, visibility, or license selected, etc. may affect compliance.

  • How do I/others cite my data?

    The Hive's citation format is:

    Author/Creator(s) (Date deposited to The Hive). Title of the dataset. Version. The Hive: University of Utah Research Data Repository. DOI or URL for the DOI.

  • What are the benefits of depositing research data with The Hive?
    • It meets funding agency requirements.
    • It meets journal editors' requirements. Every dataset submitted to The Hive receives a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and suggested data citation for you to submit with your manuscript. The DOI facilitates linking between publications and the underlying datasets.
    • It fulfills university requirements. The University of Utah requires researchers to preserve their data for a minimum of 3 years (and for some projects longer) after the close of a project. The Hive ensures sure your data are safely archived for the required period of time.
    • Local assistance is available. University of Utah data librarians can meet with you to prepare your data, README file, and metadata for submission into The Hive. Contact us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu to set up a consultation.
    • In most cases, it is free to deposit data into The Hive.
  • I have additional questions. Who should I contact?

    Email us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu .

Terms of Use

General Terms of Use

  • These Terms of Use apply to those who use or submit and publish Content in The Hive: University of Utah Research Data Repository (hereafter, The Hive). If the Depositor is someone submitting Content to The Hive on behalf of the Content Creator, then these Terms of Use also apply to the Creator. In addition to Content, these Terms of Use also apply to the use of the web interface.
  • By submitting Content to or using Content from The Hive, Depositors and Users enter into a binding agreement to accept the Terms of Use described herein. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, please refrain from using Content from or submitting Content to The Hive.
  • The Hive is offered to the University of Utah community to facilitate the sharing and reuse of datasets resulting from research.
  • The Hive was developed and is maintained by professional staff in the IT and Digital Collections division of the J. Willard Marriott Library (hereafter, the Marriott Library), University of Utah (hereafter, the University).

Definitions

  • Content includes the datasets, code, README files, and any other documentation required to facilitate the reuse of the datasets.
  • Creators are the people who lead and are responsible for the research as described in the University Research Handbook and pertinent regulations. More than one Creator may be associated with any one research project.
  • Depositor is the person tasked with submitting the dataset and related documentation. Creators may request a person other than themselves to submit a dataset and related documentation to The Hive on their behalf.
  • Users are the people using the Content preserved in The Hive.
  • Service is the assistance provided by Hive staff to Creators/Depositors with the submission of their datasets, metadata, README file, etc. and the creation of a persistent identifier.

Responsibilities of Hive staff to Users and Creators/Depositors

Hive staff will be responsible for:

  • Assisting Creators/Depositors in completing the README intake form and submitting their metadata and data to The Hive.
  • Generating a README file and uploading it to The Hive on behalf of researchers.
  • Reviewing submissions (the metadata, dataset, and README file) for appropriateness and completeness.
  • Minting a persistent identifier (i.e., a Digital Object Identifier [DOI]) for the dataset once the data and documentation submitted to The Hive have been reviewed and deemed appropriate and complete.
  • Obtaining citations and DOIs for published materials relating to the deposited data and entering them into the metadata record and README file.
  • Maintaining the underlying software, servers, and website. Hive staff will also backup data, ensure the reliability of storage media, check for data consistency, and perform any additional preservation procedures.
  • Informing researchers that their data are under consideration for deaccessioning when the 10 years of guaranteed storage have concluded.

Terms of Use

Use of The Hive, either by submitting datasets or downloading datasets for reuse, denotes agreement with the following terms:

  • The Hive is a research data repository for the preservation, sharing, and reuse of research data and their corresponding documentation. Access to Content in The Hive is open to all.
  • Content may be uploaded by those without ready access to a more appropriate data repository (e.g. subject-based or funder required repository). Please see our guide, Repositories for Research Data, or contact us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu for assistance.
  • It is the Creator's responsibility to ensure that their Content is complete and suitable for sharing and reuse and that it complies with these terms, applicable laws, and University policies and regulations, including but not limited to those pertaining to privacy, data protection, and intellectual property rights.
  • The Creator is responsible for including appropriate and complete documentation along with the submission of datasets. Complete documentation means providing potentials Users with sufficient information to understand and reuse the data. If documentation is deemed inappropriate or incomplete by Hive staff, then it can be removed from the repository.
  • The Creator is responsible for reviewing and agreeing to the Deposit Agreement prior to making deposits public.

Withdrawal

Creators may request deposits to be withdrawn prior to the end of The Hive's standard retention period of 10 years under the following conditions:

  • The Creator(s)/Depositor requests the deposit be withdrawn.
  • The Creator(s)/Depositor leaves the institution and requests the work be removed and DOIs (or other persistent identifiers) be updated.
  • Violation of Publisher (The Hive) policies or rights.
  • Copyright infringement or legal or ethical violation regarding the deposit or its contents.

Descriptive metadata for works withdrawn upon request of the Creator(s)/Depositor will remain publicly available on The Hive's website. Files will be moved to tape storage and will not be available for download. Creators/Depositors who wish to have files deleted entirely may request to do so.

If a deposit is withdrawn due to a policy or rights violation, copyright infringement, or legal or ethical violation, the descriptive metadata and files will be permanently deleted.

Deaccessioning

Content deposited in The Hive will be reviewed 10 years after the deposit's approval date. Deposits will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Number of downloads
  • Association with related datasets, published works, or derivative materials

If a deposit has no downloads or citations after the initial retention period, the Creator(s)/Depositor will be notified and be requested to provide any rationale for the dataset to be maintained and available in The Hive. Given no rationale or contest from the Creator(s)/Depositor regarding deaccessioning, the files associated with the deposit will be moved to tape storage and no longer be available for immediate download from The Hive. Files on tape storage may be accessed upon request but will not be further preserved or archived. Metadata records will remain available and indexed on The Hive.

Deposits that have been downloaded or cited at least 10 times during the initial 10-year retention period may be renewed for another 5 years depending on the interest of the researcher. If the researcher does not wish to renew, the files will be moved to tape storage. Metadata records will remain available and indexed on The Hive.

Conduct Requirements

As a registered User you are able to both submit your datasets and download publicly available Content from The Hive. As a condition to your gaining Use of Service, you are required to register for and be logged into an account on The Hive. You shall provide The Hive with accurate and complete Registration Information and regularly update such information to maintain its completeness and accuracy. Failure to do so may result in immediate termination of the account. The Hive reserves the right to refuse registration or cancel an account in its sole discretion. You are solely responsible for activity that occurs on your account and shall be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account password, in accordance with the University's Information Technology Policies.

You grant to The Hive all necessary permissions and required licenses to make the Content you submit or deposit available for archiving, preservation, and access. This includes, without restriction, permission to:

  • redisseminate copies of the Content in a variety of distribution formats according to the standard Terms of Use of The Hive;
  • promote and advertise the Content in any publicity (in any form) for The Hive;
  • describe, catalog, and document User deposits;
  • store, translate, copy, or reformat the Content in any way to ensure its future preservation and accessibility and improve usability or protect respondent confidentiality; and
  • incorporate metadata or documentation in the Content into public access catalogs.

You also grant to The Hive all necessary permissions, waivers, and required licenses to share any metadata associated with your Content with DataCite for the purpose of minting a DOI.

You represent and warrant that you are lawfully entitled and have full authority to license to The Hive the Content you submit or deposit in the ways described in these Terms of Use; and you are not under any obligation or restriction created by law, contract, or otherwise that would prevent you from entering into and fully performing these Terms of Use.

You represent and warrant that none of the above supersedes any prior contractual obligations with third parties that require any information to be kept confidential. Nothing in this Agreement obligates you to disclose information to The Hive if such information is otherwise confidential or proprietary. The Hive assists with User submissions before they are posted; but you are solely responsible for the User submissions you post on or through the Service and all possible confidentiality or other privacy issues that may arise from your posting any User uploads. You agree to indemnify and defend the University against all claims, damages, or expenses resulting from any breach of the above representations and warranties.

All Content is provided "as-is." Users of Content shall respect applicable license conditions listed in the metadata. Download and reuse of Content from The Hive does not transfer any intellectual property rights of the Content to Users.

Users of Content are exclusively responsible for their reuse of Content and shall hold the University, the Marriott Library, or any of its employees or students free and harmless in connection with the download or reuse of Content. Users shall include proper attribution to and not infringe upon the intellectual property rights held by Content Creators.

The University and the Marriott Library reserve the right, without notice, at its sole discretion and without liability, to:

  1. alter or delete inappropriate Content, and
  2. restrict or remove user access where it considers that use of The Hive interferes with its operations or violates these Terms of Use or applicable laws.

Unless specified otherwise, metadata associated with Content in The Hive may be freely reused under the CC0 waiver.

Termination

The Hive may terminate your access to all or any part of the Service at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately. If you wish to terminate your account, you may notify The Hive at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu.

All provisions of the Terms of Use, which by their nature should survive termination shall survive termination, including, without limitation, ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.

These Terms of Use are subject to change by the University and the Marriott Library at any time and without notice, other than through posting the updated Terms of Use on The Hive website.

If you have any questions or comments with respect to The Hive, if you are unsure whether your intended use is in line with these Terms of Use, or if you seek permission for a use that does not fall within these Terms of Use, please contact us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu.