The Dataverse Network Project

Your Own Dataverse for Scholars:

An Easy Way to Increase your Scholarly Citations and Web Visibility through Data Sharing

What is a dataverse?

A dataverse is a virtual archive where you can store, permanently preserve, distribute, and generally or selectively share your data or list data from other dataverses. It ensures that you receive formal scholarly citation credit (rather than merely thanks in someone’s acknowledgements) for your data and more attention for your related writings. It can also increase your web visibility via easy customization that makes your dataverse look like part of your web site. It’s free.

How do I get my own dataverse?

Go to http://dvn.iq.harvard.edu and click "Create Your Own Dataverse". (It takes less than a minute!) After your dataverse is created, you can choose to upload any type of quantitative or qualitative data (in any format), customize your dataverse to look like part of your website, and then release it to share it with others. Or feel free to call us at 617-496-9514 or e-mail us at: dvn_support@help.hmdc.harvard.edu.

What are the features?

• Safe and permanent data storage in preservation format.
• No need to translate data when statistical software formats change.
• Formal citation credit for your data, including a globally unique identifier and universal numeric fingerprint.
• Establish an unbreakable link between your data and related published work.
• Easy ways for others to find your data and associated scholarship.
• Share your data with everyone, those who sign your licensing agreement, or only individuals you approve.
• Allow users to download your data in any format and run many advanced statistical methods on-line.

What is the Dataverse Network Software?

It’s a web application that serves out individual dataverses to scholars, research groups, journals, presses, scholarly organizations, departments, libraries, universities, and archives. IQSS developed it, and several sites including IQSS maintain permanent archives and run the necessary software and servers. Our software is open-source and free to use, but you do not need to install it to have your own dataverse. See http://TheData.org for more information.