Product Overview of Figshare
Figshare is a web-based platform designed to facilitate academic research data management and dissemination, aiming to enhance the discoverability, citability, and transparency of scholarly research outputs.
Purpose and Vision
Figshare was created to provide a centralized platform where researchers can upload, share, cite, and discover various types of research outputs. The platform is driven by a vision to revolutionize academic publishing by leveraging new technologies such as cloud hosting, RESTful APIs, and advanced browser functionality. Figshare is a strong advocate for open access to knowledge, ensuring that research is accessible and reusable.
Key Features
Data Management and Sharing
- File Uploads: Figshare allows users to upload files of up to 20 GB in size, with the option to upgrade to Figshare Plus for larger datasets exceeding 100 GB and up to 5 TB per file.
- File Formats: The platform accepts all file formats and provides in-browser preview capabilities for most files.
Storage and Accessibility
- Storage Options: Users have access to 20 GB of free storage, with additional storage available through Figshare Plus. Data can be stored via AWS, other cloud providers, or locally at the institution.
- Accessibility: Figshare is cloud and web-based, ensuring that research data is accessible anywhere, anytime. The platform is optimized for mobile devices and supports desktop uploaders for fast and resumable file transfers.
Collaboration and Privacy
- Collaborative Spaces: Users can control access to private files and folders, enabling secure collaboration with trusted colleagues. Private link sharing allows for quick and secure sharing of large files.
- Collections: Researchers can group interesting content into collections to better showcase their research outputs.
Citation and Discovery
- DOIs: Figshare assigns a unique DOI (Digital Object Identifier) to each dataset, making them citable in publications and grant reports. This includes negative and null results, which can also be published and cited.
- Metadata and Search: Robust metadata and persistent identifiers enhance the discoverability of research outputs.
Analytics and Metrics
- Tracking: Users can track the reach and influence of their research outputs through metrics such as views, downloads, citations, and Altmetric attention data.
Institutional and Publisher Support
- Research Data Management: Figshare offers solutions for institutions to manage their research outputs, including private storage, public storage, and collaborative spaces. It also provides curation workflows, reporting, and statistics at various levels (object, researcher, department, institution).
- Services for Publishers: The platform includes features like the Figshare Viewer, Portal, and Datastore to help publishers manage and showcase digital media and data files effectively.
Security and Preservation
- Data Security: Figshare ensures data security through encryption of data in transit and at rest. The platform is ISO 27001 certified and integrates with preservation systems to ensure long-term data preservation.
- Scalability and Availability: Figshare is deployed across multiple AWS Availability Zones and Regions, ensuring high availability and fault tolerance.
Additional Services
- Figshare Plus: This premium service offers additional storage, larger file size uploads, expert curation support, and the ability to publish complex datasets with multiple files and folders. It also provides a wider choice of licenses for reuse and tracks dataset metrics.
In summary, Figshare is a comprehensive platform that supports researchers, institutions, and publishers in managing, sharing, and showcasing their research outputs in a discoverable, citable, and transparent manner. Its robust features and commitment to open access make it an invaluable tool in the academic research ecosystem.