Below are step-by-step instructions on how to deposit your research data, software/code or method. We strongly recommend that you consult the Depositor's Checklist before you deposit your data, and as you complete the deposit form and upload your files.
A quick step-by-step guide:
- Log into Symplectic Elements (this is the interface used to deposit research outputs, where these outputs are then published in Apollo, the University of Cambridge institutional repository).
- From your Home Page, click on the 'ADD NEW' button in the ‘Publications’ box at bottom left.
- Select the type of research output you are depositing, choose either 'Dataset', 'Software/Code' or 'Method'.
- You will be prompted to enter a title. If you think a colleague (or one of your co-authors) may have already created a record for this research output then you can search for it in the 'Title' search box. If not, you can click 'Skip'
- Next you will reach the deposit form – make sure you read the information provided in the form's blue box: ‘What do I need to do?’.
- Fill in the form to provide information (metadata) about your deposit.
- For dataset and software/code deposits (not methods), you need to decide if your data is in draft form or if it is ready for publication. If you wish to submit in draft form to be finalised later (e.g. after peer review) then choose to submit your data as a placeholder record. If you are ready for the data to be published in Apollo and have all the final versions of the data files to upload then choose to submit your data as a final record.
- Once you have filled in the form, click 'Save'.
- Next, you will reach the 'Link to Funding' page. Grants already linked to you will appear or you can search for them by title. If there is no grant to link to then click 'Grant not listed'.
- Next, click on 'Deposit to Apollo'. If your deposit is a placeholder record (not methods deposits) and you want a placeholder DOI for your data to cite in your publication, select 'Deposit without files' – you can finalise your files at a later date but it must be finalised before or at the same time as the publication of your article by the journal. If your deposit is the final record, upload the final versions of your data files; in other words, deposit only those files that are ready for publication in the repository. You will not be able to delete files after uploading them. Data cannot be changed (e.g. files added, removed or amended) after they have been after they have been published in Apollo. Only data marked as final records will be processed into the repository.
- Complete the deposit by clicking the blue 'Deposit' button. The Research Data team will review your submission and send you a DOI for your data and you can cite this DOI in your publication.
The Research Data team will contact you about your data submission within three working days.
Additional guidance on depositing data for publication in Apollo
- Depositor's Checklist
- Research Information: Open Access, Research Data and Theses Management, including an explanation of publication privacy settings in Symplectic Elements.
- Who can deposit data in the repository
- What can be deposited
- Information required when depositing data
- What happens after you have deposited your data
- Frequently asked questions (this section is particularly useful if you are experiencing problems or are trying to submit data that exceeds 2GB in size)
Receiving the DOI for your deposit
A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a persistent identfier and will ensure that your data is easy to cite and find. The DOI will be emailed to you after you have completed the deposit process. The DOI is also visible in the data's Elements record: located under the 'DOI' field within the 'Apollo' section of the 'Data sources' box. When depositing your data you are agreeing to the Apollo Deposit Licence Agreement. For more information, consult the Repository Terms of Use and DOI policy.
Citing your data
If your data is associated with a publication (or publications) then you should cite your dataset, software/code or method's DOI in the publication's data access statement. See our guidance on data access statements, which includes example statements for different scenarios. You should also provide the full citation data in the publication's reference list: to give, at a minimum, author(s), year of publication in Apollo, title of data, data DOI.
Having problems getting access or no longer at the University of Cambridge?
Please see Research Information's 'Signing in to Elements' page for help with accessing Elements. Contact us if you do not have a Raven account but do have an affiliation with the University of Cambridge and would like to submit your data to the University of Cambridge data repository.