FAQ
1. What is Figshare?
Figshare is an online repository for making research data citable, shareable, and discoverable. Data published on Figshare is assigned a persistent, citable DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and is discoverable in Google, Google Dataset Search, and more.
2. Why should I use Figshare?
As Nature pointed out in early March, COVID-19 related research findings should be made available via preprint servers or platforms that make papers openly accessible. The gap here is availability of underlying data. At Figshare, we believe that sharing data can move research further faster; that’s why we’re spinning up this dedicated COVID-19 data repository.
We’ll be accepting all file types (tabular data, code, images, preprints, etc.) related to COVID-19 so the research community has the tools it needs to fight this global pandemic.
3. How do I get started?
If you have a figshare.com account, you’re good to go! If you do not have a figshare.com account, please head over to https://figshare.com, create an account, and begin uploading your research.
For more on how to sign up to Figshare and begin uploading research, please visit: https://knowledge.figshare.com/articles/getting-started
Please make sure to use “COVID-19” or other related terms in the keywords section of the metadata form as you submit content (see #4 below).
4. I have COVID-19 research -- how do I make sure it’s published to https://COVID19.figshare.com?
If you already have a figshare.com account, in order to contribute to the COVID-19 research portal, upload your research onto figshare.com and be sure to use any of the following keywords:
- COVID-19
- 2019-nCoV
- Coronavirus
- SARS-CoV-2
- 2019nCoV
- COVID19
- Corona virus
- SARSCoV2
- covid2019
- covid_19
- SARS-CoV2
- COVID 19
5. I have COVID-19 research but it’s larger than the 5 GB allotted to me with a free figshare.com account. What should I do?
If you have a larger coronavirus dataset with single files larger than 5GB or an entire dataset that’s larger than 20GB, please reach out to support@figshare.com and we’ll modify your account’s storage limit to allow for larger files.
6. I’m an NIH-funded researcher, my university has Figshare for Institutions, or my research is a preprint, should I use the COVID-19 Open Research Portal?
If your COVID-19 research is sponsored by the NIH, please head over to https://nih.figshare.com and deposit your research there, providing the appropriate funding information and COVID-19 keywords. We’ll ensure it’s harvested into the Figshare COVID-19 Open Research Portal.
If your university has an instance of Figshare for Institutions, please feel free to upload your content there. As with NIH-sponsored research, we’ll make sure it’s harvested into the Figshare COVID-19 Open Research Portal.
Please also note that Figshare accepts preprints! If you’d like to publish a preprint and it doesn’t make sense to do so in BioRxiv, MedrXiv, ChemRxiv, or elsewhere, please publish it on Figshare.com with COVID-19 keywords and we’ll ensure it’s harvested into the Figshare COVID-19 Open Research Portal.
7. What if I’d like to export all datasets from https://COVID19.figshare.com or access content on the portal programmatically?
Our open API is available for bulk data download and metadata harvesting (as well as file uploads and more). Find our API documentation at https://docs.figshare.com as well as on GitHub, here.
The API can be used to query the Figshare COVID-19 portal by using the institution ID “857.” Our API Guide provides an introduction to the API and examples of how it has been used. You can find more workflow tools and integrations with Figshare on our Apps page.
You can also export bibliographic information in several citation formats (including RefWorks, BibTeX, Endnote, DataCite, NLM, DC and RefMan) on the right side panel of each item page.