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Digital Repositories at Chapman University

Digital Commons and Figshare are open access repositories for sharing and preserving the research outputs of Chapman scholars and researchers.

Frequently Asked Questions

For Chapman University Digital Commons:

Chapman University Digital Commons' FAQ page is here.

 

For Chapman Figshare:

Is there a limit on file sizes or total dataset size?

The maximum size of any individual file is 20 GB, which is a technical limitation in the system. Web browsers will struggle to upload files of about 5 GB or larger, but the Figshare API or a FTP client can be used to upload larger files. Please contact us if your dataset upload fails and cannot be done through the normal process.

How much total storage can I use?

By default, user accounts are provided with 25 GB of storage. Please contact us if your dataset is larger than this. We may need to find alternative solutions for very large datasets.

Why should I use Chapman Figshare over Zenodo, OSF, Dryad, or the public version of Figshare?

We offer several services to Chapman scholars that other free deposit locations cannot. Firstly, a librarian curates your dataset to ensure FAIR-ness and add value through metadata and data enhancements. Secondly, we can set up custom branded subgroups - please contact us if this is of interest. Finally, you can get support for using Chapman Figshare from your own librarians - the LRDS team can assist you with the deposit process, file technical support tickets with Figshare developers, or help with any other challenges you may encounter.

How long will the review process take once an item is submitted?

We aim to complete initial review within 5 business days. The total length of the review process will also depend on the changes to be made and the submitter's choices about changes.

How can I include Chapman Figshare in my Data Management and Sharing Plan?

Please contact us ahead of time if you plan to include Chapman Figshare in your Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMP/DMSP). It can handle many different data types and file types, but not all data can or should be shared on this platform. Librarians can evaluate if your data will be appropriate for Chapman Figshare and provide language describing Chapman Figshare for your proposal if it is a good fit and referrals to other repositories in the case that we cannot best support your data.

Please include the following information when inquiring about including Chapman Figshare in your DMP:

  • A short description of the data to be stored in Chapman Figshare.
  • Total estimated storage needs (in MBs, GBs, or TBs).
  • A summary of the data's file formats and file types.
  • Anticipated data sharing/publication time frame.

Why is everything called "Figshare"? This is confusing!

We agree. "Figshare" refers to:

  • Figshare the company, who owns and develops the Figshare platform.
  • Figshare the platform, the software developed and sold by Figshare the company.
  • Figshare the public repository, also including Figshare+, which is a public unmoderated repository for all types of research outputs.

We will strive to be clear about what we are referring to whenever we say "Figshare", and to use Chapman Figshare to refer to the Chapman-branded Chapman-moderated version of the platform.

How is data in Chapman Figshare preserved?

We buy space in Amazon S3 servers via Figshare (the company) and Amazon provides industry-standard multi-location backups. Figshare (the platform) generates MD5 checksums when items are deposited and regularly checks them against files in storage.

Can I move things from figshare.com to chapman.figshare.com?​

This is possible, but you’ll need to contact the LRDS team to arrange this and discuss the rationale for doing it. For example, if you are continuing a project you began before coming to Chapman and want to group the items in a collection or specially-branded subgroup page for your lab.