BiRD - Birkbeck Research Data

    Deposit Guidance

    What is BiRD?

    Birkbeck Research Data Repository offers long term storage for the data outputs produced by staff and post-graduate students of Birkbeck, University of London.

    Data is stored online and in offsite archival storage. Records can be assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) if required. Contact researchdata@bbk.ac.uk if you would like more information on the repository.

    This site is powered by EPrints 3, free software developed by the University of Southampton, and hosted by CoSector.

    What is accepted into BiRD?

    Our Collection Policy allows for the deposit of almost any material that could support your traditional research outputs. For example:

    • Qualitative and quantitative data
    • Images or videos
    • Code or algorithms
    • Research instruments, such as questionnaires and interview guides
    • Almost anything else that support your traditional outputs

    No sensitive data (or Special Categories Data, as defined by the GDPR) can be deposited in BiRD, although metadata only record should still be created.

    Contact researchdata@bbk.ac.uk for more information or advice.

    Deposit Checklist

    1. Check your Data Management Plan
    What did you say you would share, and where did you say you would share it? Do you have permission to share the data from any participants?
    2. Preparing your data
    Is it organized in a way that would make sense to someone else outside your project? Could you use a more open file format? See UK Data Service for advice.
    3. Documentation and Metadata
    Does your data require documentation to be meaningful to anyone who wishes to view it, or confirm your findings? Further metadata might make your data more reusable and discoverable. Take a look at the DCC site for more on this.
    4. Do you have an ORCID?
    An “Online Researcher and Contributor ID” will help identify your as the creator to machine readable tools, and allow other to get credit for the work they have done in producing this dataset. You can sign up here.

    Deposit Now

    You can start your deposit now, and come back later if you need to collect more information, or ask for advice.

    Metadata only records

    All data created by Birkbeck researchers should be registered in BiRD. If the data cannot be shared, a Metadata only record can be created. This allows for the discovery of your work, crediting or those involved, linking of data to publications, and potentially more citations of publications.

    Contact researchdata@bbk.ac.uk for more information on this.

    Assisted Deposit

    If you would like some help depositing your dataset, you can book an assisted deposit with the Research Data Support Manager. They will be able to walk you through the process, explaining the various pages and metadata fields.


    Book an appointment

    Contact Information

    Any correspondence concerning this specific repository should be sent to researchdata@bbk.ac.uk

    You can follow us on Twitter @BirkbeckData.