UKDA-store user guide

Step One: Registration

First time users must register to contribute to UKDA-store using federated access management user authentication. Use your UK HE/FE institutional login credentials (institutional username and password), after selecting your institution from the drop-down list.

If you do not have a UK HE/FE institutional username / password, instructions on how to register are on the ESDS web site. Apply for a UK Data Archive username and password. You can use these to log in to UKDA-store using federated access management user authentication, selecting the UK Data Archive as the institution.

At your first login, you will be asked for a username (create a new one or use your existing one), name and email address and will be asked to accept the UKDA-store terms and conditions as part of the registration process.

Step Two: Login

To contribute to UKDA-store, choose Login on the front UKDA-store page.

Step Three: Adding a Project

Only principal contributors (award holders) can initiate a project. Once logged in, enter the ESRC Award Number in the box and click 'Add Project'. This will retrieve your award details from the ESRC Society Today database and prefill the metadata form for UKDA-store. It will also retrieve links to any research outputs you have submitted to the Society Today repository. Note: enter the award number exactly as shown on the ESRC Research catalogue (including all spaces and hyphens).

Confirm this, by clicking on 'Add Project'. An authentication check will be carried out automatically on the ESRC Award Number (e.g. RES..) and award holder name.

Step Four: Edit the Metadata Record

A metadata record will be presented, which has been partially pre-filled by harvesting information from the ESRC Society Today database.

Complete the empty fields in 'Edit Part 1' and 'Edit Part 2' of the form. Those marked with * are mandatory. There is context sensitive HELP on the right hand side which will appear when you click on the field you require information about. When complete 'Save' the changes.

Step Five: Upload Data and Documentation

The next step is to add data and documentation files to the new project record via 'Add Deposit'. This will present a form for uploading files. Several files can be uploaded simultaneously in a zip-format file. Note: A 'Deposit' must be added before publications can be uploaded.

1. browse a hard drive, CD or removable drive for a file or enter a URL
2. add a meaningful label
3. select the material type
   • it is recommended that separate zip files are used for materials of each type e.g. data in one zip, classified from the drop-down list as data files, and documentation in another zip classified as documentation
   • to create a zip file, right-click a file and then click 'Add to Zip' on the shortcut menu
4. change the name of the copyright holder if required
5. check the box to certify distribution rights to the data
6. click on 'Upload'

Please ensure that all uploaded data files are well documented and described so that researchers interested in re-using your data can understand and interpret them. Data should be self-explanatory in terms of variable names, codes and abbreviations used. Additional documentation can be provided - on how data were collected, which methods were used to create them, the context of the research, etc. - by uploading additional documentation files (e.g. questionnaire forms, interview schedules, technical reports, lab books, methods fact sheets, user guides).

Step Six: Adding A Publication

The next step is to add publications (if you have any) to the project record via the 'Add Publications' tab. The 'Add Publications' tab can be found by clicking on 'Project Outputs'. This will present a form for uploading files.

1. browse a hard drive, CD or removable drive for a file or enter a URL
2. add a meaningful label
3. select the material type
   • it is recommended that separate zip files are used for materials of each type e.g. data in one zip, classified from the drop down list as data files, and documentation in another zip classified as documentation
   • to create a zip file, right-click a file and then click 'Add to Zip' on the shortcut menu
4. change the name of the copyright holder if required
5. check the box to certify distribution rights to the data
6. click on 'Upload'

Step Seven: Review Status

The file(s) will now appear in 'Review Status' which is located at the top of the page.

Once all data files, documentation files and publications have been uploaded, the project is ready to be published. In 'Review Status' check both boxes 'Confirm materials are ready for review' and 'Confirm materials are ready for publication' then click on 'Submit'. If successful, an email from the UKDA-store Administrator will be sent confirming that project files have been submitted.

The data and documentation will be checked by ESDS before the project is released for publishing. If successful an email from the UKDA-store Administrator will be sent confirming that the data has been published.

Any questions? Email: UKDA-store help desk

To browse for a project choose Start using data! or 'Browse Projects' on the UKDA-store front page. A search facility has also been provided on the UKDA-store front page with the option for advanced searching.

Browse through the project list, sorting by title, description or date the record was created. To access the full project details, click on the project title.

From the box on the right hand side a simple search can also be conducted.

From Adv.Search in the top menu bar an advanced search can be conducted on a number of metadata fields.

Search results will return a list of records with title, description, award holder, and the date the record was created. From the Title the project's full metadata record can be viewed.

Data and documentation can be accessed by clicking on the 'Project Outputs' menu, where the projects outputs are listed. The deposit, together with its title, description (if any), contributor/publisher, access conditions and date created are shown.

Where there is a green tick in the 'Access' column, the project files can be opened or downloaded.

Clicking on the file title will bring up the 'Deposited Files' page where the terms of use must be agreed before downloading the data. The data can be downloaded by clicking on either the title or icon.

Some files are not open access, as indicated by a red cross in the 'Access' column.

Access can be requested by clicking on the 'Title' to email the contributor (creator). If the contributor grants permission to access the data an email will be sent with a link to the materials.

A user must have a UKDA-store account and be logged in before access to data can be requested. If not logged in, then go to the login screen by clicking on a 'Title'.

Any questions? Email: UKDA-store help desk