This article answers the most frequently asked questions about UNC Dataverse.
In this article:
General Questions
What is UNC Dataverse?
UNC Dataverse is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's research data repository. It is available to all UNC-CH faculty, students, and staff and to affiliated partners for sharing and preserving research data and data-related materials. UNC Dataverse is managed and maintained by the Research Data Management Core.
Users are encouraged to explore the tool using our UNC Demo Dataverse and the UNC Dataverse user guide. If you have further questions, please Submit a Help Ticket.
What is the Dataverse Platform?
Dataverse is an open source web-based repository platform for sharing, preserving, and finding research data. It was developed by the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University and has been enhanced and adopted by many institutions across the world. For a brief overview of Dataverse's history and features, please visit The Dataverse Project.
UNC Dataverse is a local instance of the Dataverse platform that is available to the UNC community and managed by the Research Data Management Core.
Dataverse vs. Dataset
A dataverse is a collection that can hold datasets as well as other dataverse collections. You can think of it as a container, as depicted below.
This structure permits users to organize their research in various ways.
Who manages UNC Dataverse?
UNC Dataverse is managed and maintained by the Research Data Management Core (RDMC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Systems development and technical support is provided by the Research Data Architecture team; data management planning, archiving, and training is provided by the Research Data Stewardship team.
Learn more about our staff and expertise.
Why should I deposit my research data in UNC Dataverse?
Sharing and preserving research data is an important part of the research lifecycle. By depositing your data in a data repository like UNC Dataverse, you are ensuring that your research is accessible and reusable well into the future. Not only is this beneficial for your own research needs, but it permits others to build upon your work to advance scientific inquiry and discovery.
The U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy has issued various memos, including those in 2013 and 2022, directing federal funding agencies with developing and honing their data management and sharing policies. In order to comply with these policies, researchers must share the outputs of their research with the public in appropriate data repositories. UNC Dataverse is available to support UNC researchers and affiliates in making their data discoverable and accessible.
In addition to government mandates, research communities are quickly adopting the FAIR Principles for making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. These principles offer guidance for ensuring that data are properly preserved, described, and shared for future access and reuse. UNC Dataverse is FAIR compliant.
RDMC policies are available to understand our data archiving guidelines, processes, and systems: Digital Preservation Policy, Metadata Guidelines, Terms of Use Policy, Collection Development Policy, and Data Security Guidelines.
What is the difference between putting my data in UNC Dataverse vs. other cloud storage options such as Dropbox or OneDrive?
While Dropbox and OneDrive may be approved and viable options for storing data during the active phase of your research, they are not long-term preservation and access platforms. Additionally, they do not support FAIR Principles for making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.
Using an established and trusted data repository like UNC Dataverse to share and archive your data ensures your research outputs and hard work are well described and findable now and into the future.
Through UNC Dataverse, users can understand the context and licensing of your data thanks to standardized metadata and customizable terms of use provided by the platform. UNC Dataverse is built on recognized preservation technology that performs checks and audits on files and is backed up regularly to multiple servers across the country, meaning your data are safe from corruption and loss. The Research Data Management Core staff are also fully committed to the long-term preservation of research data and have developed policies around data archiving and security best practices and standards. These policies include: Digital Preservation Policy, Metadata Guidelines, Terms of Use Policy, Collection Development Policy, and Data Security Guidelines.
Account Questions
I am not affiliated with UNC. Can I still use UNC Dataverse to share my data?
The UNC Dataverse user policy has recently been updated to limit account creation within UNC Dataverse to UNC faculty, students, staff, and affiliates. However, we recognize that UNC researchers often partner with external collaborators on projects; therefore, external collaborators are permitted to deposit data within a UNC research project dataverse.
If you are not affiliated with UNC and are not an external collaborator, you will not be able to create any new dataverses or share data within UNC Dataverse. We recommend exploring Harvard Dataverse as an open data repository option.
I am an external collaborator/co-PI/partner on a UNC-based research initiative that is using UNC Dataverse to share data. How do I request permission to contribute to the research project dataverse?
If you are an external collaborator, co-PI, or partner on a UNC-based research initiative that utilizes UNC Dataverse to share data, follow these steps to request permission to contribute to the research project Dataverse.
Step 1: Create a UNC Dataverse Account
- If your institution uses single sign-on (SSO) as part of the InCommon Federation as a Research and Scholarship entity, you can log in by selecting your institution from the dropdown menu on the Login page.
- If your institution does not use single sign-on (SSO) and you have an ORCID, you can log in by selecting ORCID at the bottom of the Login page.
- If you cannot login via single sign-on (SSO) and ORCID, you will need UNC Affiliate status to request an ONYEN for logging into UNC Dataverse. The UNC PI, collaborator, or partner must submit an affiliate registration form to initiate this process. Detailed instructions are available at Affiliates - UNC Research site.
Step 3: Request Permission from the Research Project Dataverse Admin
- Once your UNC Dataverse account is set up, identify the admin(s) of the UNC research project Dataverse you wish to contribute to.
- Contact the admin and request the necessary permissions.
- The admin will assign a role to your UNC Dataverse account through the Permissions page of the project Dataverse.
I am an Admin of a research project dataverse within UNC Dataverse and am unable to get affiliate status for my contributor(s). How can I manage future contributions from non-UNC, non-SSO users?
For submissions from users that are not affiliated with UNC, ORCID, or an institution that uses SSO, we recommend the research project dataverse Admin perform the data deposits on the user’s behalf. The Admin will be responsible for ensuring that the data and materials being deposited comply with UNC Dataverse Terms of Use. Admins will maintain ownership of the dataset record; however, the original contributor’s email may be provided in the dataset record for users to contact with questions, etc.
I am an Admin for a research project dataverse and am leaving my institution for an institution that does not use SSO. What are my options for maintaining access to my research project dataverse?
If you have an ORCID account, you can create a UNC Dataverse account using your ORCID and add your ORCID account as an admin to the project dataverse.
If your research project dataverse has collaborators from UNC, you can request that they submit an affiliate registration form to grant you UNC affiliate status.
If there are no UNC-based collaborators on your project dataverse, you can give admin permissions to collaborators at institutions that use SSO. They will be able to maintain the dataverse on your behalf.
If neither option is feasible, please contact UNC Dataverse Support.
I am an Admin for my dataverse and need to add a collaborator as a contributor. How do I grant them permissions within my dataverse?
As an admin for your dataverse, you may need to add a collaborator as a contributor. Follow these steps to grant them the appropriate permissions:
- Navigate to your project ataverse and click Edit.
- From the drop-down menu, select Permissions.
- Under Users/Groups, click Assign Roles to Users/Groups.
- In the pop-up window, enter the user’s account name and select it from the drop-down menu.
Note: The user must have a UNC Dataverse account to be granted permissions.
- Choose the role you want to assign to the user (e.g., Contributor).
Tip: Clicking on the role will display a description of the actions it allows.
- Click Save Changes.
If I leave my institution, can I transfer my UNC Dataverse account to my new institutional account?
If you are leaving your current institution and would like to transfer your UNC Dataverse account to your new institutional account, follow these steps:
- Contact the support team by submitting a help ticket.
- Include the following details in your ticket.
- Your current UNC Dataverse account email address.
- Your username associated with the UNC Dataverse account.
- Your new institutional email address.
- Your ORCID.
The support team will assist you with the transfer process.
The account verification email is missing the verification link. How do I verify my email address?
This is a known bug for non-SSO users who created a UNC Dataverse account before our updated User Policy (pre-November 2022) or prior to our upgrade to Dataverse 4.0. We are unable to resolve this issue at the moment; however, users are still able to use UNC Dataverse fully without limitations even if their email address is not verified.
Any user that creates a UNC Dataverse account using their SSO will automatically be verified and will not receive an account verification email.
Data Questions
What kind of data can I deposit?
UNC Dataverse accepts all types of data; however, it offers optimized preservation for certain file types such as:
- Stata
- R
- SPSS
- Certain Excel file types
Dataverse processes these optimized preservation file types during ingest and creates a software agnostic tab-delimited version as well as an RData version of the file for long-term access and preservation. Optimized preservation also permits users the ability to explore these file types within the UNC Dataverse interface.
All other file types are preserved at the bit-level only.
While UNC Dataverse can preserve all file types at the bit-level, it may not be the best data repository option for certain data types. If you are uncertain if UNC Dataverse is the best data repository for your research data, please submit a help ticket.
What are the recommended data file types?
UNC Dataverse can accept any file format. However, to avoid risks to long-term data preservation, access, and use that can arise from software obsolescence, the Research Data Management Core recommends that data files be submitted in formats that are widely adopted, non-proprietary, free of external software dependencies, and well-documented.
The file formats used by researchers are often informed by individual research practices and domain-specific standards. The following file formats are supported with optimized preservation:
| IBM SPSS |
.por OR .sav |
Versions 7 to 22 |
| Stata |
.dta |
Versions 4 to 15 |
| R |
.RData |
Versions 1 to 3 |
| Excel |
.xlsx |
.xls is not supported |
| Comma-separated values |
.csv |
Limited support |
When using the above file formats, UNC Dataverse will generate a software-agnostic, tab-delimited (TSV) version of your data files for optimal preservation. Dataverse also creates an Rdata version of your data to permit users the option to download the file in an open source format.
The following file formats for document files such as README files, codebooks/data dictionaries, instruments, and methodology reports are recommended:
| Text |
.txt |
| Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) |
.pdf/ua OR .pdf/a OR .pdf |
Are there file size limits?
UNC Dataverse accepts deposits of up to 2TB for a project. If your total project size is over 2TB, please Submit a Help Ticket to request a quote for the RDMC Large-Scale Data Archiving.
How many files can I upload into UNC Dataverse?
Currently there is no limit for how many files you may upload into UNC Dataverse; however, if your total project is more than 2TB, please Submit a Help Ticket to request a quote for the RDMC Large-Scale Data Archiving.
Can I share sensitive data within the UNC Dataverse?
UNC Dataverse cannot currently store or share sensitive data containing identifiable information such as protected health information (PHI) or personal identifiable information (PII). We recommend using the Safe Harbor or other approved methods for de-identifying data before depositing into UNC Dataverse. If your data cannot be de-identified, please Submit a Help Ticket to learn more about RDMC services for sharing and preserving sensitive data.
Can I control access to my data?
Yes. UNC Dataverse offers access controls for your dataset. Access controls are set by the admin and curator roles of your dataset(s). You can set embargoes for your files. . Individual files can be restricted, and access requests can be enabled to permit UNC Dataverse account holders the ability to request access to each file through UNC Dataverse. To learn more about access restrictions, please see the Access Controls for Data section of the UNC Dataverse User Guide.
How long are files stored in UNC Dataverse?
Files are preserved for a minimum of 10 years. The 10 year data retention is a minimum period for preserving and maintaining access to datasets. Data are reappraised at the end of the RDMC preservation commitment period of 10 years to ensure that it aligns with UNC Dataverse collecting mission and established standards of professional archival practice. We expect that most research data will be retained beyond the minimum retention period of 10 years.
RDMC is committed to preserving and maintaining access to data in our holdings for the long-term. UNC Dataverse is a member of Data-PASS, a community dedicated to the preservation of research data. As such, we have implemented a Digital Preservation Policy which defines our succession plan for continued access to our holdings.
Can I remove my datasets from UNC Dataverse?
UNC Dataverse is an open data repository for sharing and preserving research data. All published data are given a persistent unique identifier (DOI), which directs users to the permanent published dataset record. In most instances, we would not recommend removing data from UNC Dataverse; however, if data are discovered to be too sensitive or in violation of copyright or terms of use, RDMC staff will remove the data from UNC Dataverse.
If you have questions about removing your data from UNC Dataverse, please Submit a Help Ticket.
I have questions about the contents of a dataset or dataverse within UNC Dataverse. Who should I contact?
For questions about a specific project dataverse, please use the ‘Contact’ button on the far right of the project dataverse.
For questions about a specific dataset, please use the ‘Contact Owner’ button in the dataset record. This will send a message directly to the dataset owner(s).
