ORDA

ORDA is the University of Sheffield’s research data repository, which enables University research data to be shared, discovered, and preserved. It is provided by Figshare, and managed and curated by the University Library’s Research Data Management team. 

Researchers are strongly encouraged to deposit their data in ORDA, unless there is a subject-specific repository or data centre which is commonly used in their field. Each record placed in ORDA is also provided with a Datacite DOI.

ORDA is ideal for non-sensitive data that can be made publicly available online. While depositors can restrict or embargo access to data in ORDA if required,  there may be more appropriate long-term storage options for sensitive data in other repositories with varying levels of controlled access, or in University networked storage.

Data that should be recorded, preserved, or where possible shared in ORDA include:

• data supporting publications
• data from externally funded projects
• data from research not resulting in publications, or giving unexpected results
• data of potential long-term interest to other researchers
• details of non-digital or sensitive data that cannot be shared openly but should be recorded

Here are a few helpful things to remember if you are planning to upload data to ORDA:

• You can upload many kinds of research data to ORDA, including software, protocols, reports and presentation slides.
• Remember that records and associated files published in ORDA will be publicly available online – try to present files and their content in a logical way that other researchers will understand.
• Include your ORCID in your ORDA profile – it will help people to find and identify your data.
• If your data consists of a number of related files, it’s usually best to upload them to a single record rather than separate ones. 
• To provide access to your data from a departmental or other website, make it available in ORDA first and link to the assigned DOI.
• If data is stored elsewhere, you can create a ‘metadata’ record in ORDA describing the data and where it is stored.
• If you need to provide a publisher with a DOI for supporting research data, you can ‘reserve’ a DOI for data deposited in ORDA but not yet published.
• If you have problems logging in to ORDA, try using a different browser e.g. Chrome (see guidance from figshare).
• You may be able to make data deposited in ORDA more accessible through data visualisation. You can find out more at Dataviz.Shef.

You can use the following guides to help you deposit or record your research data in ORDA:

Uploading an item to ORDA (PDF)

Uploading an item to ORDA: useful tips (PDF)

Managing an item in ORDA (PDF)