Making the Case for Disciplinary Data Repositories

Abstract

Many advantages come with depositing to a disciplinary repository to make original data available to other potential users. While institutional and general repositories serve a broad range of users and data, with metadata, access, and user support mechanisms geared to a heterogeneous and wide audience, a disciplinary repository can provide specialized data, services, and tools used and favored by a specific scientific community. These include subject expertise, customized metadata, disclosure expertise, customized curation and preservation, specialized tools, and a one-stop, focused collection of data.