28 Research Data and Supplemental Files

When it comes time to submit your thesis to ProQuest, you can also submit supplemental files – like the data you used in your research, along with documentation and metadata about the data. 

Unless it is placed under embargo, the data and any supplemental files are made available in two places:  

• Iowa Research Online (IRO), the University of Iowa’s institutional repository 
• ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis Global (PQDT) *

IRO is open access, and there is no fee to you, so your thesis/dissertation and supplemental files will also be open access (unless you embargo them).

* Although ProQuest might ask if you’d like to make your thesis open access for a $95 fee, this is not necessary since your thesis/dissertation and supplementary files will be openly accessible via IRO.

Preparing Data and Code for Sharing

There are a few things to consider when preparing your research data for sharing as part of your thesis or dissertation.  

1. Organize the files into a logical structure. This makes it easier for you and others to browse files, understand the relationships between files, and find specific files if necessary.
   
   • Group related files together into folders and if there are many files (e.g. more than 20) zip them into .zip archives
   • Use a consistent approach to naming your files
     
   • Use dates, numbers, and/or file names to group and order files. e.g., use a numerical prefix so that files can be sorted into a specific order,
     • 01_filename
     • 02_filename
     • 03_filename
2. Organize data in spreadsheets: If you adhere to a few key principles of tidy data throughout your research process, you’ll save yourself a lot of time because you won’t have to clean up and re-organize your data in order for it to be analyzed.
   
3. Use open, non-proprietary file formats whenever possible. While your thesis itself must be in PDF format, your data could be in a variety of different formats. Using open formats for your data, rather than proprietary ones, means your data is more likely to remain usable in the future – even if the software that created the original file is no longer available or functional.
   
4. Document and describe the data:
   
   • provide a description of the files, methods, source(s) in a readme file.
   • for spreadsheet or tabular data, provide a data dictionary, or a codebook for survey results.

If you need assistance managing, sharing, or publishing your research data, please visit Research Data Services or contact us at lib-data@uiowa.edu.