How to Submit Data to The Hive

Submission Requirements

In addition to meeting requirements for depositing (detailed in our about page), there are 3 necessary components for each submission into The Hive:

  • Content: Content includes the datasets, code, README files, and any other documentation required to facilitate the reuse of the datasets.
    • Data should be deposited in standardized and non-proprietary formats (e.g., CSV, TXT, PDF, MP3, MP4) to ensure they are accessible and reusable.
  • README File: A README file is a text file that introduces and explains a project. It contains information that is commonly required to understand what the project is about.
    • README files must follow The Hive's README template, which will be created on behalf of the creator(s)/depositor by Hive staff using the information provided by the creator(s)/depositor via our README intake form. Additional README documents generated by researchers prior to deposit may also be included. For additional details, see the How to Submit section below.
  • Descriptive metadata: Descriptive metadata includes basic information about the project used by Hive users to search for your work. This includes title, creator(s), description, dates, and subject terms.

How to Submit: Overview

For a full explanation of how to submit data to The Hive, please see the Step by Step Guide below.

Note: the time to complete the full submission process can range from 3 days to several weeks, depending on the completeness of the README intake form, our team's capacity, and the dataset's complexity.

  1. The creator(s) of the data should contact a Marriott Library research data librarian at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu to determine if The Hive is the best place to store and share your data. Also, check out our guide, Repositories for Research Data, to learn about the available subject-based repositories.
  2. Prepare your data, scripts, and documentation for archiving.
  3. The data depositor must create an account at hive.utah.edu using their University of Utah UNID and email.
  4. A member of the research team must then complete our README intake form. Hive staff will use your completed form to generate a README file on your behalf. You will have the opportunity to review and approve the README file before it is added to your deposit. Note: This step is required for all deposits as the README file must follow The Hive README formatting requirements. Additional, documentation by the researcher(s) may also accompany the data deposit.
  5. Once the README intake form has been completed, login into your Hive account and click the plus (+) icon in the upper right corner of the homepage or the green "New upload" button from your Dashboard page.
  6. Complete the descriptive metadata form and upload your data file(s), script(s), and additional documentation as needed. If any of your files are greater than 50GB, contact us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu, and we will assist you in uploading the data.
  7. Once your materials have been uploaded and you have provided all required metadata, click the green “Publish” button on the right of your screen. Be aware that by clicking "Publish," you are agreeing to the Hive's Deposit Agreement.
  8. A Hive staff member will then review your submission for completeness, contact you with any issues or requests for additional information, and—once all all issues and requests for additional information have been resolved—issue a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for the record. They will also update your README and metadata record with this DOI on your behalf. The deposit will then be approved.

Submitting by Proxy

If, as creator(s), you are designating someone else to submit the data on your behalf, then both the creator and the depositor must create an account using their University of Utah UNID and email.

  1. The creator must then go to Your Activity, select Manage Proxies and search for the designee under Proxy User.
  2. The submitter can then open the Share Your Dataset link on The Hive's website and find the On Behalf Of link in the right navigation bar and select the creator.
  3. Now the submitter can follow the instructions above.

Step by Step Guide

  1. The creator of the data should contact a research data librarian at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu to determine if The Hive is the best place to store and share your data. Also, check out our guide, Repositories for Research Data, to learn about the available subject-based repositories.
  2. Prepare your data, scripts, and documentation for archiving.
  3. The creator(s)/depositor of the data must create an account at hive.utah.edu using their University of Utah UNID and email.
    • Select the login button in the upper right corner to create an account or login to an existing account. You will be redirected to the University of Utah's SSO login screen to complete the process.

  4. Complete the README intake form with as much information as possible. One of our research data librarians will review your responses and generate the required README file on your behalf.

    Note: a successful README is useful enough that in 12 months, after you may have forgotten how and what you did, you can refer back to your README file and be able to recreate everything you did to generate your data. This is also a resource for others who may be looking at your data and have no familiarity with it at all. Our intake form will guide you through the process to ensure a thorough README document.

    • All required questions must be answered fully. If you are unsure of how to answer, you can save your form and email us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu. Depending on the complexity of the data being deposited, we may recommend a consultation with us prior to moving forward with the submission
    • Links to external resources are not accepted. However, you may copy and paste text from an external source (e.g., the methods section of a paper), as long as the source is cited and/or the URL/DOI to the source is provided.
    • Please expect a wait time of 2-3 business days for our research data librarians to begin reviewing your form submission.
    • You will have the opportunity to review and approve the README before it is finalized.
  5. Once the README form has been completed, login into your Hive account and click the plus (+) icon in the upper right corner of the homepage or the green "New upload" button from your Dashboard page.
  6. Upload your data file(s), script(s), and additional documentation as needed. If any of your files are greater than 50GB, contact us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu, and we will assist you in uploading the data.

  7. Below the file upload box, you will provide descriptive metadata. This will include:

    • Title: There is no specific format for titles at this time, but please review this guide from SPARC before titling. We may ask submitters to rename datasets prior to approval.
    • Description: The description should describe the dataset and project it was created for. An abstract for the project is acceptable, but make sure that it specifically describes the dataset. Descriptions must be at least 4 sentences to ensure the description provides value to users. We may ask submitters to provide a more robust description prior to approval.
    • Creator(s): Creator(s) are the people who lead and are responsible for the research as is described in the University Research Handbook and pertinent regulations. More than one creator may be associated with any one research project. If a person was involved in the project but not a member of the main research team, they may be added as a Contributor.
    • License: Select the license option you selected when filling out the README intake form.
    • Keywords: Keywords describe the main topics of your research.
    • Subjects: Subjects are similar to keywords but must come from a controlled vocabulary schema (see below).
    • Controlled vocabulary: These are lists of controlled terms to aid in search and discovery. The Hive uses Fields of Science and Technology (FOS) Classification. If you would like assistance selecting subject terms, please let the librarian working with you know.
      • We are happy to complete this field on your behalf–if that is preferable. If you would like us to complete this field for you, please leave the field blank.
    • Dates: This should be the date(s) the data were collected. Use YYYY-MM-DD format. For ranges, separate with a forward slash (e.g., 2025-05-01/2026-06-08).

  8. Once you've completed the metadata form and provided the necessary files, navigate to the bottom of the deposit page and determine the visibility of your dataset.

    Note: Creators/depositors may also choose to embargo their data for up to 1 year. In cases where the data deposited are associated with a federally funded project, embargoes will not be accepted.

  9. You may save a draft or preview their record at any time. When you are satisfied with the provided information and are ready for Hive staff to review your deposit, click the green "Publish" button on the right of the page. By clicking "Publish," you agree to the Hive's Deposit Agreement.
  10. Hive staff will then review your submission—including all descriptive metadata and data files—to ensure the deposit's appropriateness and completeness. They will contact you if any issues need to be addressed.
  11. Following the deposit review and resolution of any issues, Hive staff will issue a DOI. Hive staff will also update your README and metadata record with this DOI on your behalf. The deposit will then be approved.