Describe data in DORIS

By describing and sharing your research data in a repository, you make it possible for others to review your findings and reuse data for further studies. To do this, the data need to be organized and presented in a self-explanatory way.

Certified trusted repositories, like SND, apply a review process, which means that data and documentation must meet certain minimum requirements before they can be published and shared. Reviewers will work with you to ensure that the published dataset is reusable. It is important that reviewers can contact you and that you take an active role in the review process.

To get a quick start on your data description, you can have a look in Share Data: Quick Guide at Researchdata.se.

Screenshot of the starting page of DORIS in researcher mode

Share data: Step by step

To begin using SND’s documentation system DORIS, you need to register as a user by logging in to My pages on the SND website. You log in to DORIS using your institution's SWAMID account or your ORCID. For ORCID login to work, you need to have activated your ORCID account. You can also create your own login credentials by clicking Log in using your username/password and then Create a new account.

On the first page after you log in, you see all your data descriptions on the Data descriptions tab. You can also see your requests for access to data on the Requested data tab.

In the DORIS form, you enter information – or metadata – about the data you will share. Metadata is information about data, and they are what will appear in the catalogue entry on Researchdata.se. The more metadata you provide, the easier it will be for others to understand your research material.

DORIS is bilingual and can be used in Swedish or English. Controlled vocabularies are generally translated automatically, but you will need to manually translate the content in free-text fields.

1. Create a data description and enter initial information

Start a new data description by clicking New data description.

To create and save a data description, you must provide some basic information about the dataset. These initial details will determine how the rest of the form is structured. All fields except for Research principal can be edited later.

Initial information

Titel	Provide titles in both Swedish and English. If no Swedish version exists, you may use the English title in both fields. There is also a field for Alternative title later in the form. If you are describing data for a specific article or publication, the title can be “Data for [article title]”. It is not recommended to use the exact same title for both the dataset and the publication.
Data access level	Indicate whether you are publishing a new dataset or creating a catalogue entry for a dataset that already has a PID in another repository. Data can be freely accessible or available with restricted access. Access to data containing sensitive, copyright-protected, or personal information must be restricted.
Data contain personal data or other protected information	It is important that you enter correct information here, to avoid sharing data in violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or other legal requirements. If you are uncertain, consult your local research data support team or contact SND. You can read more about data containing personal information in SND’s handbook for data containing personal information.
Research principal	Specify which organization is responsible for the dataset. If there are multiple responsible organizations, enter the organization responsible for sharing the data. Note: This information cannot be changed later in the form, as it determines the organizational affiliation of the data description in DORIS.
Research area profile	Select the research field that best matches your data under Research area profile, to make the data description form as relevant as possible. If your specific field isn't listed, choose the general profile. You can easily change the discipline profile later if needed.

2. Describe the research data

After saving the initial details, you will proceed to a more detailed form where you further describe your dataset. At this stage, your data description will have the status Editing and a DOI will be generated and reserved for the dataset. A DOI is a form of persistent identifier (PID), meaning a unique ID that provides a permanent link to web pages, files, documents, and other digital objects, making data easier to find and cite. Note that the DOI will not be active until the catalogue entry is published.

You can now:

Save your data description and return to it later. You can continue editing until you choose to submit it for review.
Preview the upcoming catalogue entry by clicking Preview.
Invite others to edit the data description under Activities and settings > Editors.
Send messages to your local research data support function or to SND under Activities and settings > Messages.

2.1 Upload data and documentation files

Data files

The materials shared via DORIS should be research data, meaning material that serves as the basis for scientific analysis.

You can currently upload files up to 2 GB directly to DORIS. For larger files, the transfer must be made via an SFTP server. Contact your local research data support or SND at incoming@snd.se for assistance.

Some universities, by agreement with SND, have specific procedures for datasets with restricted access, where files are stored by the research principal (responsible organization) but there is no technical integration with DORIS. Contact your institution’s research data support for help with submitting such files.

Documentation files

Documentation files refer to the relevant documentation other researchers may need to understand and reuse the data. These can include variable lists, codebooks, technical reports, descriptions of data processing, or instructions for software required to handle the data. SND does not impose specific formatting requirements. The form and naming of documentation may vary between and within disciplines. Relevant information may also be summarized in a README file.

2.2 Add metadata

To be approved for publication, a dataset must include all mandatory fields. These fields are marked with a red dot · and must be completed before the dataset can be published. It is, however, possible to submit a data description for review even if some mandatory fields are incomplete – for example, if you are unsure how to fill them in. The required fields may vary depending on the selected research area profile.

Metadata fields that are not mandatory but are considered important within your research field should still be completed as fully as possible. Keep in mind that metadata and documentation should, as far as possible, be understandable even to researchers from other disciplines.

The more metadata you include in the form, the more visible your dataset will be in the catalogue. This also makes it easier for potential reusers to find the dataset and assess its suitability for their own research.

3. Submit the dataset for review

When you are ready to submit your data description for review, click Submit.

At the time of submission, you can leave a message – for example, if the dataset should not be published before a certain article is released or if there is a specific deadline. You must also attest that the data are not being shared in a way that violates any laws. If the data will be stored in SND CARE and your organization has not signed a service agreement for SND’s services, you will also need to sign a digital agreement for the individual dataset.

Note: The dataset is not immediately published in the Researchdata.se catalogue when you click Submit. It is first sent to a reviewer. If the reviewer finds that additional information is needed before publication, you will be contacted.

The dataset will now have the status Under review.

3.1. The review process

The review of your dataset is not an academic assessment of your research but focuses on improving the accessibility and reusability of your data.

The review process ensures that:

Data files are in appropriate formats
All relevant fields in the form are completed
There are sufficient metadata to enable reuse
Uploaded documents can be understood.

Depending on whether you belong to an organization with a local research data support function that uses DORIS, your data description will be reviewed either by staff at your organization or by SND. While the data description is under review, you cannot edit the record. If you wish to make changes, you can contact the assigned reviewer via the messaging feature in DORIS.

If the reviewer finds that information is missing, they will return the data description to you with a note on what needs to be added. You will then be able to edit the record again. Once you’ve completed the necessary updates, resubmit the data description in the same way as before.

Under Activities and settings, you can communicate with the reviewer about the data description. This section contains the activity log that tracks all changes to the record, as well as a messaging function for dialogue between you and the reviewer.

3.2 Closed review

Some journals require data to be accessible during the peer review process. DORIS supports this functionality. When describing your dataset, you can check the box Data shall be made available for Closed Review. This means the data description will only be published once you notify SND that the article has been accepted. In the meantime, you will receive a temporary link to share with the journal.

Files that will be available by direct download from the catalogue at Researchdata.se are accessible through the temporary link during the closed review. Data with restricted access will be shared only after a request for access submitted through the temporary link has been approved.

Datasets under closed review are only accessible via the temporary link and are not searchable in the catalogue or visible through search engines like Google. Therefore, it is important to inform SND when the dataset is ready for publication, as SND does not have any automatic checks in place for this.

Once your article has been accepted or published, your dataset can be published in the catalogue. The temporary link will be replaced with an open public link, and the previously reserved DOI will be activated as the permanent link to the dataset.

3.3 Data publication

When both you and the reviewer agree that all required information is included in the data description, the dataset can be published. This is done either by your institution’s research data support or by SND. You will receive a confirmation e-mail once publication is complete.

The persistent identifier that has been reserved during the editing process will now become active and lead to the entry for the dataset in the catalogue on Researchdata.se.

4. Manage published datasets

If you need to update information after a dataset has been published, you can update it directly within the data description.

4.1 Edit published data description

Click the Edit metadata button. The form opens for editing and you can update the information in the form. These changes do not need to be reviewed before they are published. A message will be sent to inform the local research data support at your institution and SND that the data description has been updated.

You cannot add new files when you edit metadata for a data description. If you want to add new files, you must create a new version of the dataset.

4.2 Create a new version

Click Create new version. The draft will get the status Under review. New versions of datasets go through the same workflow as entirely new data descriptions and will be reviewed before publication. See the steps under 3.1.

5. Reuse and adapt similar datasets

The side menu in DORIS Under Other actions, you can choose to duplicate a data description. The metadata will be copied into a new data description titled “Copy of…”. You can then edit the title and content as needed. Note that uploaded files are not copied.

All data uploaded through DORIS are assigned a DOI (Digital Object Identifier).