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Open Data Repository Selection Decision Tree

Not sure where to share your research data? This decision tree can help you identify repositories that may be suitable for your dataset based on factors such as data type, ethics considerations, and access requirements.

To get started, select the category that best matches your data and work through the questions in that section. The repository recommendations provided are intended to guide your search and may not include all available options. Be sure to review repository-specific requirements and consult with ethics specialists, data stewards, or community partners when appropriate.

If yes, have you had a discussion with your Indigenous community partner about Indigenous data sovereignty and the appropriate storage of their data?

  • If yes, do the appropriate data storage as discussed.
  • If no, please pause, and work with your Indigenous community partner to identify their data storage needs. If support is needed, please fill out this form with your information and the Western Research Inclusive Research Excellence and Impact team will assist with your request.

If yes, do you have ethics approval to share the data on an open repository?

  • If you don't have ethics approval to share the data on an open repository, but you would like to do so, please contact Western Research Ethics Manager (WREM) at wrem@uwo.ca.
  • If yes, would you like to deposit your data in a method-specific repository?
    • If yes, see below for some options for method-specific repositories:
Data Type Mental-Health Data Neuroimaging Data Genomic Data Microscopy Data
Repository

ARCHIMEDES;

Brain-CODE;

The Neuro’s Open Biobank (C-BIG) Data Portal

ARCHIMEDES;

OpenNeuro

 

 European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA) Open Microscop

  • If you do not have ethics approval to deposit your data in an open repository, do you have ethics approval to deposit your data in a restricted-access repository?

If yes, would you like to deposit your data in a method-specific repository?

  • If yes, see below for some options for method-specific repositories:
Data Type Animal Behaviour Research Data Animal Track and Behaviour Data Imaging Data Mouse Cognitive and Behaviour Data
Repository OpenBehavior

Awesome Behavior Datasets;

Movebank Data Repository		 OpenNeuro MouseBytes

This category could include simulation code, model scripts, trained models, simulation models and more.

If you would like to make your computational models or modeling outputs openly available, you can deposit them in the following open repositories:

Note: NIH-funded repositories under review by the U.S. federal Administration (e.g., DANDI Archive) are not included in this resource. We recommend, when possible, to deposit your data in Canadian data repositories. If that is not a possibility, and you wish to deposit data in NIH-funded repositories, we want to note that such repositories may be subject to policy, funding, or administrative changes that could affect data access, availability, or long‑term preservation, including the possibility of restricted access or data removal.

If you'd like to see a list with descriptions of available open data repositories, click the button below.

List of Open Data Repositories