About the Repository

ReShare is the UK Data Service's self-deposit repository for social science research data. It was developed primarily as a means for ESRC-funded projects to effectively share data with the wider academic community after the end of a project, but the service is also open to submissions from other sources.

The repository uses an extensively customised version of EPrints, based on earlier work by the UK Data Archive and the University of Essex to make the EPrints software more suitable for complex collections of research data. As part of the Jisc-funded Research Data @ Essex project we first developed the EPrints ReCollect plugin, which transforms an EPrints install into a research data repository.

With funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, ReShare has built upon this earlier work, tailoring EPrints for use as a social science research data repository.

Customisation includes:

  • expanded metadata profile based on standard metadata schemas DataCite, GEMINI and DDI (see below for download)
  • use of customized controlled vocabularies for elements commonly used by the UK Data Archive as facets in its search and browse platform Discover
  • optimised deposit workflow and user interface for the upload and display of collections consisting of multiple file types, multiple files and associated metadata and documentation files
  • minting DOIs for data collections
  • import of related project information from the RCUK Gateway to Research
  • export of DDI metadata to the discovery platform Discover

Development documentation

We have made available two key documents from the ReShare development process; the metadata profile specification and a requirements-based gap analysis of the CKAN and EPrints repository packages. Further information and download links for each are provided below.

The metadata profile was developed using the ReCollect metadata profile as a base (and is therefore DataCite, INSPIRE and DDI compliant), with a number of additions to better suit it to social science research data. This included additional descriptive fields, and fields to help enable resource discovery.

The ReShare metadata profile is available in two formats: ReShare metadata profile (XLSX format), ReShare metadata profile (PDF format)

The gap analysis was undertaken in order to ascertain which repository software package we would use to replace our dated Fedora installation (known as ESRC Data Store). After gathering an extensive list of requirements, we assessed the suitability of EPrints and CKAN in meeting these requirements, using a three level grading (possible; probably possible; not possible).

The CKAN/EPrints gap analysis is available in two formats: CKAN/EPrints gap analysis (XLSX format), CKAN/EPrints gap analysis (PDF format)