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Step-by-step guide for curating and sharing data

A. Initial inquiry​

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If the dataset you want to share is funded through an award from the NIH SPARC program or the NIH RE-JOIN program, skip this step and move directly to step B. If you want to use SODA to generate a dataset then share it with a generalist repository (e.g., Zenodo) move directly to step B.

If you want to share a dataset that is not funded through an award from the NIH SPARC program or the NIH RE-JOIN program to Pennsieve, start with reaching out via email to the SPARC Curation Team (curation@sparc.science). Include briefly some information about the data you want to share and the SPARC Curation Team will follow up with you regarding the suitability of your data for the SPARC data portal. If the data is deemed suitable for the SPARC Data Portal, you will be invited to proceed to the next steps.

B. Preliminary steps​

These steps only need to be completed once.

  • All SPARC datasets must be uploaded on the Pennsieve data management platform. Get access to Pennsieve as well as the required Pennsieve workspace by filling out this form. If you are sharing a dataset funded by the NIH RE-JOIN program, request access to the RE-JOIN workspace, otherwise request access to the SPARC workspace.
  • Download and install the Pennsieve agent required to upload files on Pennsieve through SODA.
  • Download and install SODA

C. Curate and share data with SODA​

We suggest to use the Prepare Dataset Step-by-Step feature of SODA as it is the easiest approach for submitting your dataset. This mode is designed to guide users step-by-step through all the requirements for preparing a dataset according to the SPARC Dataset Standard (SDS). If your goal is to share your dataset with Pennsieve this mode will also help you with that. Moreover, if your goal is to share to a generalist repository, the mode can help you generate a SDS compliant dataset on your computer that you can then upload manually. The user interfaces are designed to include all the necessary information such that no documentation or prior knowledge of the SDS guidelines should be necessary. Follow the associated documentation here.

If your dataset is already following the SDS, you can use the Upload Dataset feature. Follow the associated documentation here.

Need help?​

Feel free to reach out to us if you need help or want to share feedback at help@fairdataihub.org. Make sure to check the "Common errors and their solutions" section in this document, your solution might be there!