TRU Borealis: Data Repository

What is Borealis? Borealis, the Canadian Dataverse Repository, is a bilingual, multi-disciplinary, secure, Canadian research data repository, supported by academic libraries and research institutions across Canada. Borealis supports open discovery, management, sharing, and preservation of Canadian research data. TRU's Borealis Collection is available to researchers affiliated with TRU and their collaborators.

Why deposit data? Depositing data (i.e. uploading data to a repository and providing descriptive metadata) has many benefits. Sharing data can benefit future work in your field as other researchers will be able to use your data. Your work may also be cited more, as your data can be cited as well as or instead of your publication. Finally, some grants are starting to require that data be deposited in a repository. Depositing your data into TRU's Borealis collection will meet these requirements.

To get started with depositing your data, create an account on the Borealis login page. Note: TRU is not in the dropdown. You will need to click on the "Sign Up" button, and when you log in do so from the "Username/Email" button, and not the dropdown menu.

Once you've created an account, contact the Scholarly Communications Librarian Erin May for Borealis permissions to create your Dataset and begin uploading your data! Before permissions are granted, you will need to agree to the TRU Borealis Deposit Agreement.

Below are steps that will ensure that you, your data, and your metadata are ready for deposit. Links lead to other places in this guide.

• Review documentation: the deposit agreement, Borealis Terms of Use, and the TRU Borealis Guidelines.
• Clean up your data:
  • Sensitive data has been desensitized: "data deposited into Borealis must not contain information that could directly or indirectly identify a subject, except where the release of such identifying information has no potential for constituting an unwarranted invasion of privacy and/or breach of confidentiality" (Borealis Terms of Use)
  • Data should be clearly organized so that another researcher can understand and use the data
• File names and organization:
  • File names of your data files are consistent
  • A ReadMe describing the data is included
• Upload data files into Borealis
• Assign descriptive metadata: descriptive metadata will ensure that your data is findable and that those who find it understand it.
• Choose a license for the data: this will tell anyone how they may reuse the data
• Review curation checklist: this is a short list of requirements, such as completed metadata, for your data to be published. A TRU librarian will be reviewing this list with respect to your data before it is published. If you have followed the steps above, you will be good to go!