Researchers can load any of their research outputs into Figshare. More than 1,200 file types can be previewed in the browser: figures, datasets, media, code, papers, theses, posters, presentations, and filesets (groups of files). When you publish on Figshare your data is stamped with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) to help you track the attention, potential impact (citations, references, etc.), and reach of your research
How can Figshare help my research?
Reports show that sharing detailed research data is associated with an increased citation rate for published articles. Figshare promotes your research within the global research community and can raise your profile as a researcher. With many funders now making it a requirement to keep your data, Figshare provides a safe environment to do so by allowing you to securely store and back up data/metadata using a robust, reliable cloud-based infrastructure. Free private storage can be used to easily manage your data; you can share private links with reviewers and showcase your research with slides and posters that are quick to view within the Figshare browser.
How is my data stored; is it secure?
Figshare is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to ensure the highest level of security and stability for your research data. Amazon S3 stores multiple, redundant copies of your information so you don’t have to worry about losing your master copy. It provides authentication mechanisms to ensure that data is kept secure from unauthorised access. Figshare doesn't just rely on Amazon’s cloud; it performs daily backups of the metadata, and weekly snapshots of the entire data system, including an encrypted one of the S3 file store. The Figshare server clusters are monitored in real-time and the service can scale readily to meet traffic spikes that may occur when you release new or exciting datasets. The security and persistence of your files on Figshare make it easy to prevent plagiarism of your research data, as all uploads are time-stamped.
How do I access Figshare?
RMIT researchers can directly access their
RMIT Figshare account by using their RMIT username and password to login. A link to Figshare is also available on RMIT's Researcher Portal.
Can I edit or delete my research after it has been made public?
Yes, Figshare supports version control of all publicly available data. Any privately stored data can also be altered or deleted as you wish.
I've accidentally set my data to public, what should I do?
RMIT administration can un-publish any published item. Please contact an RMIT data librarian for support, email:
research.data@rmit.edu.auIs loading my research onto Figshare considered prepublication?
If your research is publicly funded, then you may in fact be obliged to make all of your data available as terms of your grant. Most publishers (>90% including all major publishers) do not consider sharing your research outputs on online platforms as prior publication.
How long will Figshare host and retain my public research data for?
Items will be retained for the lifetime of the repository. The publisher model requires an SLA statement guaranteeing 10 years of persistent availability.
Is Figshare content indexed by Google Scholar?
Figshare strives to have all content of type poster, journal contribution, conference contribution, presentation, chapter, report, monograph, thesis, book, and preprint indexed by Google Scholar. Figshare has been in direct contact with the Google team to ensure that all guidelines have been correctly implemented and that the records can be crawled by the Scholar.
This data belongs to my group, how do I link them to this data?
You can link associated group members to a project easily with Figshare. ORCID iDs are the best way to do this. Please contact an RMIT data librarian if you need support, email:
research.data@rmit.edu.auHow do I make sure that my data is findable?
The best way to make your data findable is to complete all the relevant metadata fields. For help with adding metadata, email:
research.data@rmit.edu.auHow much can I upload?
There is no limit to how much data you can upload. However, you will need to contact the library for assistance if your file size exceeds 5GB, email:
research.data@rmit.edu.auWhat is a DOI?
Items published on Figshare are issued with DataCite DOIs (Digital Object Identifier – a type of persistent identifier [PID]). These are persistent and provide a permanent link to your research. In order to meet with DataCite metadata requirements, Figshare requires users to add the following information before making files public and citable: title, author list (ordered), categories (set ontology), tags (free text) and a description with as much context as needed to interpret the files. Institutional clients can define additional custom metadata when implementing Figshare. The DOI cannot be deleted but the item can be modified post-publication, triggering a new version.
Who do I contact if I cannot login?
​Figshare is a best-in-class data publishing platform for RMIT researchers and Higher Degree Research students to store, manage, share, and discover research.