The NIH encourages researchers to use an established, published repository as the preferred method of sharing data. Using am established, quality data repository helps improve and support FAIRness of data (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Re-usability).

There are a number of specific characteristics that the NIH recommends researchers look for when selecting and using a data repository:

• Assigns unique identifiers
• Plans for long-term sustainability and management of data
• Supports accompanying metadata
• Provides expert curation and quality assurance
• Provides maximally open access
• Makes data available with the broadest possible terms of reuse and provides the ability to measure attribution and reuse of data
• Provides clear guidance for data access and use
• Documents the measures in place to ensure security and integrity of data
• Allows data to comply with applicable confidentiality and risk management requirements
• Allows datasets to be reused in a widely used, preferably non-propriety format
• Has mechanisms in place to record data provenance
• Provides documentation on retention policies

For some programs and types of data, the institute, center, organization, or funding opportunity announcement will identify a particular data repository to be used to preserve and share data. In these cases, researchers should use the designated data repository for data preservation and access. 

In many cases, the NIH does not limit researchers to NIH supported repositories. However, the NIH provides a list of NIH-supported domain-specific repositories that are discipline or data-type specific to support effective data discovery and use. 

Supplemental information on selecting a repository also refers researchers to a list of NIH-recommended generalist repositories for when a domain-specific repository is not available or appropriate. 

Additionally, many institutional repositories, such as SIUE’s SPARK, can accept and make available datasets regardless of data type, format, content, or disciplinary focus. For more information on using SIUE’s institutional repository, SPARK, as a data repository, please contact library@siue.edu.

More in-depth descriptions of desirable characteristics for data repositories are provided by the NIH on its Selecting a Data Repository overview page as well as in its Supplemental Information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Selecting a Repository for Data Resulting from NIH-Supported Research.