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ECL Repository Policies

The EarthChem Library repository has defined policies to streamline services to archive, publish, and make accessible user-contributed data and other digital content from Earth and Planetary Science research.

Please review the following information to ensure your submission is in compliance with the policies of the EarthChem Library.

FAIR Assessment

The ECL Curation Team reviews each submission to ensure findability, reusability, and interoperabilty of the dataset. This includes a quality assessment on the completeness of submitted metadata and a technical review of the submitted data files. The ECL Curation Team does NOT assess the quality of the data submitted; the data contributor is solely responsible for ensuring completeness and correctness of the data files. Following the ECL Submission Guidelines will ensure alignment to FAIR and open data practices.

File Formats

The EarthChem Library encourages the submission of data and metadata in open and non-proprietary file formats, to ensure reusability and interoperability in alignment with FAIR and open data principles and practices. To best support the geochemical community, we accept widely used file formats that are proprietary and not open. Please consult our list of accepted file formats prior to the submission of a dataset.

ECL Curation Timeline

The ECL Curation Team will complete the curation of a submission within 2 weeks. Note that complete datasets following all repository requirements and guidelines are often published within a few business days.

Upon curatorial review, if the submitted data type is considered outside of the repository scope, a submission can be rejected from publication.

Dataset DOI Registration

A dataset DOI is registered after a submission is reviewed and accepted by the ECL Curation Team.

Data File Release Date

By default, the release date of the submitted data files is set to the date of submission. However, data contributors may request to delay the public release of their submitted data files for up to two years since the date of submission, referred to as the embargo date.

The EarthChem Library is part of IEDA, a publication agent with the DataCite consortium, and leverages cooperation with DataCite to register all datasets with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) that is used to identify, share, publish, and cite the dataset.

While access to the EarthChem Library is open and free, circulation and/or publication of materials obtained from this site is must adhere to the licensing requirements as stipulated by the provider of the dataset(s).

Access to the EarthChem Library is open and free but you may not circulate or publish materials obtained from this site unless you adhere to the licensing requirements as stipulated by the provider of the dataset(s).

ECL Data Licensing Options

Data contributors have 4 data file license options to choose from for preserving and enabling continuing access and use of data and related information. Selecting an open access license (marked with an asterisk, below) is strongly encouraged. The license selection is displayed on the landing page of a given dataset.

Data Preservation

The EarthChem Library guarantees long-term availability of its content through Amazon S3 Glacier.

We ask that you cite the dataset with its dataset DOI. The citation should be formatted as follows:

  • Creator(s) (PublicationYear): Title. Publisher. Identifier. Data Accessed.

For example, a dataset published by IEDA in the EarthChem Library in the DOI system is Whole Rock Helium Data from ODP Site U1256D. Its data DOI is 10.1594/IEDA/100734. Its citation would be:

  • Kurz, M.D.; Curtice, J. (2018): Whole Rock Helium Data from ODP Site U1256D. Interdisciplinary Earth Data Alliance (IEDA). http://dx.doi.org/10.1594/IEDA/100734. Accessed 29 March 2018.

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