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Who can submit to the FS Research Data Archive?

  • Any Forest Service researcher
  • Any Joint Fire Science Program-funded researcher
  • Anyone who has collected data using Forest Service R&D funding or on Forest Service R&D-managed lands (Experimental Forests, Experimental Ranges, and Research Natural Areas)

Contact the archive team if you are affiliated with another organization and are interested in submitting data to our archive.

What types of data can be submitted?

  • Any data used for a particular publication, observational or historical data related to a short or long-term study, or secondary data that has been substantially modified (with documented concurrence of originating sources)
  • Data can include but are not limited to
    • Excel spreadsheets, comma-delimited text files
    • Geodatabases, shapefiles
    • Access databases
    • Maps, photographs, or other media files
    • Word documents, text files (e.g., interview transcripts)

Files can be submitted in virtually any format and archivists can help with conversion.

Can I include non-data content?

  • Yes! "Supplemental" files can include but are not limited to
    • Maps, line drawings of plots/transects
    • Photographs (sites, instrumentation, data collection activities, etc.)
    • Computer code
    • Analysis code and results
    • Study plans, reports
    • User guides

How do I submit a data package?

  1. Collect the files to be submitted:
  2. Email files (or share via Pinyon) to a member of the archive team. If the files are too large or unusual in some way, contact a member of the archive team who will help determine the best way to submit your data package to the Archive.

*Reminder: you will need to open the pdf in Adobe Acrobat in order to sign and save it.

What happens after I submit?

  1. The archive team will review the data set(s) and metadata for content and conformance to the metadata standard. Similar to a manuscript submission process, you will receive review comments that will need to be resolved before publication. The archive team will work with you to deal with these issues. Data are put into a standard archival format as part of this process.

  2. Once the archive team review is complete and any concerns from the team or the researcher are addressed, the releasable data publication is assigned a digital object identifier (DOI) and added to the Forest Service Research Data Archive catalog. You will be notified of the DOI once it has been assigned, so that you can include links to your data publication on websites and properly cite the data publication in articles.

  3. FS Research Data Archive data publications are “refereed” for Research Grade Evaluation Guide (RGEG) purposes. To help you track usage of your data publication for RGEG purposes, your pub page includes counts for page visits and downloads.

Training materials

Cost

There is no cost to submit data to the archive if you are a qualified submitter (see above).

https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/submittingData