How to select a research data repository
To select a data repository relevant to your research consider:
- Is there a specific NIH repository named in the funding announcement or mandated by your institute?
- Is there a data repository specific to your discipline or data type?
- See a list of data repositories by discipline
- Note that UCSF recommends controlled access repositories for de-identified human subjects data
- If not, is there a generalist data repository you can use?
- For UCSF basic science researchers, consider Dryad data repository - free for UCSF
Remember that you can always reach out to our team for help locating a repository that is right for your data.
We also recommend the article Biomedical Data Repository Concepts and Management Principles for a nice overview.
Institutional Recommendations for Human Subjects Data Sharing
UCSF strongly recommends the use of controlled access repositories for de-identified human subjects data.
- If you are sharing in an approved controlled access repository (recommended) you may be asked by the repository to sign a Data Sharing Agreement. If you are, submit a Material and Data Transfer Agreement Form to UCSF Industry Contracts so they can work with you to evaluate and sign the agreement.
- If you wish to share your data in an open repository or a controlled access repository not listed on the above list, email datasharing@ucsf.edu with a short description of your data and the name of your chosen repository and the Data Sharing Oversight Committee will review and approve.
Disciplinary Repositories
- NIH Data RepositoriesA list of all NIH-supported data repositories with guides to depositing data.
- PLOS Recommended RepositoriesLists the top research data repositories by discipline including biochemistry, biomedical sciences, neuroscience and social science. All of these repositories have been approved by PLOS to meet data sharing requirements
- Scientific Data's Guide to Recommended RepositoriesRepositories included on this page have been evaluated to ensure that they meet the journals requirements for data access, preservation and stability.
Dryad - UCSF's Open Data Repository
If there isn't a repository for your community or data type another option is to deposit your data into a generalist repository. UCSF is a member of the Dryad data repository, which is an excellent choice for data that can be made publicly available without restrictions. As a member institution, UCSF researchers can deposit their data in Dryad for free. Note that Dryad is not recommended for human subjects data, for those projects we recommend controlled access repositories (see below).
- DryadDryad is an open-source, research data curation and publication platform. UCSF is a proud partner of Dryad and offers Dryad as a free service for all our researchers to publish and archive their data. Datasets published in Dryad receive a citation and can be versioned at any time. Dryad is integrated with hundreds of journals and is an easy way to both publish data and comply with funder and publisher mandates. Learn more about our Dryad membership
Language for grants: Dryad is an NIH-compliant repository that ensures long-term preservation and access with Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), versioning, creative commons licenses, ORCID and FundRef identifiers, and search engine discoverability.
Approved Biomedical Data Repositories
The following research data repositories are well established and/or allow users to control access to their data and are recommended for de-identified human subjects research. Note that many of these repositories will require a signed data use agreement. UCSF researchers should submit a Material and Data Transfer Agreement Form to UCSF Industry Contracts so they can work with you to evaluate and sign these agreement.
- AD Knowledge PortalThe AD Knowledge Portal is a platform for accessing data, analyses, and tools that the National Institute on Aging’s (NIA) Alzheimer's Disease Translational Research Program generates through several initiatives.
- The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA)TCIA is a service which de-identifies and hosts a large archive of medical images of cancer accessible for public download. You need to apply in order to host your data on TCIA. Funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). UCSF researchers should use the restricted access data option.
- DASH - Data and Specimen HubData repository for NICHD-funded clinical research. Approval needed to submit non-NICHD funded research on child health and human development.
- National Sleep Research ResourceNHLBI-funded resource designed to host and share data from major sleep cohort studies and clinical trials.
- NCBI DatabasesAll databases maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the National Library of Medicine. Includes but is not limited to:
- Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP)
- Database of Genomic Structural Variance (dbVar)
- Database of Short Genetic Variations (dbSNP)
- GenBank
- Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
- Sequence Read Archive (SRA) - NCI Genomic Data CommonsThe National Cancer Institute's Genomic Data Commons (GDC) provides the cancer research community with a unified data repository that enables data sharing across cancer genomic studies in support of precision medicine.
- NDA - NIMH Data ArchiveThe National Institute of Mental Health Data Archive (NDA) makes available human subjects data collected from hundreds of research projects across many scientific domains. De-identified human subjects data, harmonized to a common standard, are available to qualified researchers. Summary data are available to all. See this See this submission guidance doc put together by a UCSF researcher for tips and tricks for using the NIMH Data Archive.
NDA houses data from several repositories including:
- NIMH Data Archive (NDA)
- Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD) Data Repository
- Connectome Coordination Facility (CCF)
- The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Data Archive (NIAAADA)
- National Institute on Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS) Triplet Repeat Disease - NHLBI BioLINCCThe National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Biologic Specimen and Data Repository includes biospecimens and data from NHLBI-funded epidemiology research and clinical trials.
- NIDDK Central RepositoryRepository for NIDDK-funded research on diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases. See the step-by-step submission guidance
- NINDS Clinical Research RepositoryArchive of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)-funded studies and trials in neurological areas such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, migraine, MS, and other neurologic disorders.
- PhysioNetAn archive of well-characterized digital recordings of physiologic signals, time series, and related data for use by the biomedical research community. PhysioNet includes collections of cardiopulmonary, neural, and other biomedical signals from healthy subjects and patients with a variety of conditions with major public health implications, including sudden cardiac death, congestive heart failure, epilepsy, gait disorders, sleep apnea, and aging. UCSF researchers should consider using the "credentialed access" license for the most data protection.
- VivliAn independent general access data repository and search engine through which individual participant-level data and metadata from clinical trials conducted by researchers in academic, industry, foundation, and non-profit entities can be identified, hosted, shared and analyzed. Learn more about our UCSF Vivli membership.
Approved Access Social Science Data Repositories
The following research data repositories are well established and/or allow users to control access to their data and are recommended for de-identified human subjects research. Note that many of these repositories will require a signed data use agreement. UCSF researchers should submit a Material and Data Transfer Agreement Form to UCSF Industry Contracts so they can work with you to evaluate and sign these agreement.
- Data Sharing for Demographic ResearchDSDR is a project supported by the Population Dynamics Branch (PDB) of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and includes demographic data for population studies. UCSF researchers should share their data using a restricted license. See which data they accept
- National Addiction and HIV Data Archive ProgramThe mission of the National Addiction & HIV Data Archive Program is to facilitate research on drug addiction and HIV infection by acquiring, enhancing, preserving, and sharing data produced by research grants, particularly those funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). UCSF researchers should share their data using a restricted license. See which data they accept
- National Archive of Computerized Data on AgingThe National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA), located within ICPSR, is funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and houses data relevant to gerontological research. UCSF researchers should share their data using a restricted license. See which data they accept
- openICPSRA service of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), openICPSR is a self-publishing repository for social, behavioral, and health sciences research data. Researchers with sensitive datasets can use openICPSR's restricted-use data options to securely share their research with qualified investigators. See the guide to depositing data for a step-by-step guide.
- Qualitative Data RepositoryThe Qualitative Data Repository (QDR) is a dedicated archive for storing and sharing digital data (and accompanying documentation) generated or collected through qualitative and multi-method research in the social sciences. Submitted datasets undergo rigorous curation and can be made available via various levels of access restrictions. Free for UCSF researchers through our institutional membership. Read more about UCSF institutional membership