Research Data Management: Data Deposit

1. Select your Data Repository
2. Deposit your data in the University of Waterloo Dataverse
   1. UWaterloo Data Deposit Guidelines (PDF)
   2. Depositor Checklist (PDF)
   3. Quick Guide to Making a Borealis Deposit (PDF)
   4. What happens post-deposit?

How do I select a data repository?

When choosing a repository for your research data, consider what relevant disciplinary repositories or repository requirements have been mandated by your funding agencies or intended journal publications. If these do not apply, we recommend the University of Waterloo Dataverse in Borealis or the Federated Data Repository (FRDR).

If you would like to chat about selecting the best repository for your research data, book a consultation by emailing LibraryRDM@uwaterloo.ca

Recommended Canadian generalist repositories

What is the University of Waterloo Dataverse?

The University of Waterloo Dataverse is Waterloo’s institutionally managed and supported multidisciplinary research data repository within Borealis, The Canadian Dataverse Repository. The University of Waterloo Dataverse is available to researchers or research organizations and their collaborators who are affiliated with Waterloo.

Borealis supports open discovery, management, sharing, and preservation of bilingual and multidisciplinary Canadian research data Borealis software is based on The Dataverse Project, an open-source data repository application developed by the Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) at Harvard University, with international contributors.

Borealis supports the deposit of individual file sizes up to 5GB. If you have files larger than 5GB, contact the RDM team to discuss options. 

How do I deposit in the University of Waterloo Dataverse?

 Step 1 

Review Waterloo’s UWaterloo Borealis Data Deposit Guidelines before getting started.

 Step 2 

Work through the Depositor Checklist* and make sure to prepare a README file for your deposit. 

*A text-based version of this document is available here: 
Depositor Checklist (Accessible Text Version)

 Step 3  

Submit your deposit for review using the Quick Guide to Making a Borealis Deposit**.
Deposited datasets are reviewed prior to publication by the RDM team. 
A RDM support ticket will be opened and sent to you within three business days.

**A text based version of this document is available here: 
A Quick Guide for Depositing Data in UWaterloo Dataverse at Borealis (Accessible Text Version)

Connect your ORCID to DataCite to make your research outputs published in Borealis are easily discoverable! Once linked, your ORCID profile will automatically update with future research outputs deposited in Borealis.

What happens post-deposit? 

• A data curator at University of Waterloo Libraries will review the dataset to ensure alignment with UWaterloo Borealis Data Deposit Guidelines and best practices.  

• Initial feedback will be provided within 5–10 business days of submission. 

• If the dataset does not comply, you will be asked to make necessary modifications. 

• Curators may: 

• Convert files to different formats for reusability and long-term access. 

• Curators will not modify file contents. 

• The dataset will be published once it meets all required standards. 

Editing the Dataset 

Changes made to Files, Metadata, or Terms after publishing your dataset will be saved as a Draft version. Click “Submit for Review” to make the changes go live. The version number will be updated. 

Citing the Dataset 

All published datasets will receive a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to allow your dataset to be cited and tracked for research impact. Data citations are displayed in a blue box below the dataset title and version #.