The Dataverse Network Project

When a user sends a request to access restricted files in a dataverse, an e-mail notification is sent to the address or addresses that are specified by using the Set Contact Us E-Mail option for that dataverse.

You can specify multiple e-mail addresses for the Set Contact Us E-Mail option by using comma separators. This means that you could add the e-mail address of the Contributor who uploaded the study in this field, and that Contributor would receive e-mail notification when a user requests access to restricted files in that study.

See topic: Set Contact and Notifications E-Mail

Usually you can create a dataverse on an existing Dataverse Network, but installing Dataverse Network software gives you full control of the data storage and back ups. Installation of the software requires you to maintain a production server and a file system, and to upgrade the application as needed. It runs on top of the Glassfish Application Server. (We use PostgreSQL for database software, but you can use other databases easily, such as Oracle or MySQL.) The data analysis component uses R and Zelig for statistical computing.

Note: Our software is not ready for distribution. We expect to release a downloadable version in the second quarter of 2008.

See topic: Software

A journal dataverse is like any other dataverse, but it is set up specifically so that each study contains a published journal article, the related replication data sets, and the topic classification for the study (Volume, Year, and Issue). The article's author adds this content to the dataverse.

See topic: DVs for Journals and Books

Each dataverse hosted by a Dataverse Network is a virtual archive or organizer of research data. It can contain data sets (called studies) that are uploaded specifically to that dataverse or that belong to other dataverses. Data sets can be organized by collections and sub-collections. In addition to uploading studies and setting up collections, if you are the dataverse owner (administrator) you can customize the dataverse browser page.

See topic: The Dataverse Network Project

A Dataverse Network installation serves as a host to one or more dataverses. From a Dataverse Network you can create your own dataverse, which is an online, virtual archive where you can upload and distribute data, use data from other dataverses in the network, or define a set of data collections.

See topic: The Dataverse Network Project

A Scholar dataverse is used by any individual researcher, independent of status or age. When you create a Scholar dataverse, you enter your first and last name, which become the default name for your dataverse. Also, your dataverse is assigned automatically to the Scholar group.

Basic dataverses usually are used by research groups, organizations, journals, or other individuals and groups. You can give any name to a Basic dataverse, and can assign it to any group other than Scholar.

Other than the default name and the group assignment, there are no differences between Basic and Scholar dataverses.

See topics: Create a Basic Dataverse and Create a Scholar Dataverse

To invite others to contribute data or journal studies to your dataverse, place a contribution invitation link on your dataverse homepage. If you know a specific user who you want to contribute, you can add that user as a contributor. Then provide the contributor with the username and password you created, and include instructions on how to add a study and upload a dataset.

See topics: Enable Contributions Invitation and Users, Permissions, and Release Dataverse

To contribute data, click the Become a Contributor link on the homepage of the dataverse to which you choose to contribure. Contributers can perform the following actions, for their own studies only: add or delete studies and upload study files; view and edit studies; set permissions to restrict access to some or all study files.

You can contribute your data now to the Murray Research Archive Dataverse.

See topics: Become a Contributor and Users, Permissions, and Release Dataverse

To cite references from a dataverse, view the study's Cataloging Information panel and locate the How to Cite text. To cite references to a specific data set, click the study's Documentation, Data and Analysis tab, and then click the View Data Citation icon for the selected data set.

See topics: Data Citations and Cataloging Information (Citation Fields)

To find a study and access its data, either search or browse the contents of a dataverse. To browse or search the contents of an authentic Dataverse Network, go to the IQSS Dataverse Network (http://dvn.iq.harvard.edu/dvn).

See topic: Browse and Search a Dataverse

Individual dataverses are self-contained data archives hosted virtually on the Dataverse Network web site. That is, the dataverse study files reside where the Dataverse Network software is installed. However, as an administrator you can customize your dataverse pages with a look and feel that matches your own branded web site, with navigation links to and from your site and the dataverse. As a result you can integrate the styles of your dataverse web page to present the same appearance as your branded web site.

See topic: Edit Banner and Footer

To create your own dataverse, go to the IQSS Dataverse Network (http://dvn.iq.harvard.edu/dvn), and click Create Your Own Dataverse in the top-right corner of the page.

See topic: Create Dataverses

After you find a study, you can access it's cataloging information and the content of the study files. Some study files include subsettable files, which are files that you can subset and analyze online using dataverse tools. You can download a study file as is, or you can subset it by variables or observations, translate it into a convenient format, and download the subset. Additionally, you can learn how to cite the study or use our online statistical analysis tools. For analysis, the Dataverse Network offers a graphical user interface to Zelig, a powerful R-based statistical computing tool.

See topics: Dataverses, Studies, and Data and Subset, Analyze, and Download Data Sets