Where can I get Data for my Research?

Check if the source is reliable. The CoreTrustSeal, for example, is an excellent indication of a repository’s trustworthiness.

Make sure you have permission to re-use the data. Many of the open datasets have a Creative Commons licence, but sometimes you have to get special permission.

Cite the dataset appropriately. If the dataset has a DOI, include it in your citation. Check the ARDC Data and Software citation guide if you are not sure how to cite a dataset.

Make sure you understand the context of the data you are planning to re-use by carefully studying the metadata:

• How was the data collected? Which instruments were used?
• Has the data been modified, weighted, de-identified?

Not all data available for re-use is stored in repositories. Do a general web search to find projects or publications pointing to the data you need. Your colleagues and professional networks might be able to lead you into the right direction as well.

Research Data Australia helps you find, access, and re-use data for research from over one hundred Australian research organisations, government agencies and cultural institutions. The data itself is not stored there, but Research Data Australia provides descriptions of, and links to, the data.

Figshare is the University's data and digital object repository. Use it to find research outputs from the University of Adelaide and from other universities and research institutes around the world.

• Quick reference guide — How to reuse data
• Quick reference guide — Create a collection

The CSIRO Data Access Portal provides access to research data, software and other digital assets published by CSIRO across a range of disciplines.

Re3data.org is a global registry of research data repositories that covers research data repositories from different academic disciplines.

The R3Data Graphical Browser is a remarkable graphical tool to search for data repositories.

Data.gov.au is the central source of Australian open government data. Anyone can access the anonymised public data published by federal, state and local government agencies.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is Australia’s national statistical agency, providing trusted official statistics on a wide range of economic, social, population and environmental matters of importance to Australia. 

Data.SA is the South Australian Government's Open Data Portal.

The TERN Data Discovery Portal delivers open access to Australia's terrestrial ecosystem data.

The Australian Data Archive (ADA) is a national service for the collection and preservation of digital data relating to social, political and economic affairs and to make the data available for further analysis.

AODN, Australia's Ocean Data Network, provides open access to Australia's ocean data.

AAO Data Central (ADC) forms the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) Node of the All-Sky Virtual Observatory (ASVO).

Science repositories recommended by Nature

Figshare is an online digital repository where University of Adelaide researchers can preserve and share research outputs, including figures, datasets, software/code, images, videos, posters and presentations.

OAGR (Online Ancient Genome Repository) is a web platform that makes ancient genomics and microbiome data freely available to other researchers around the world. The data includes bioinformatics pipelines and metabdata in an organised and searchable fashion to enable multidisciplinary access and reuse.

ARDC’s Upskill in Digital Research site provides a range of resources that can help you find, evaluate, re-use, and cite data.