Reuse

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Do you want to search for research data from other researchers, reuse third-party data, conduct further research based on such data, or purchase third-party data sets? We have compiled some information on these topics below.

  • How to search for repositories and research data

    • Registry of Research Data Repositories (re3data): re3data is a portal for finding subject-specific repositories for the publication of research data. It is possible to search via a search mask or to filter by subject or other criteria.
    • RIsources: With RIsources (RI = Research Infrastructure) the DFG offers an information portal to search for research infrastructures. The catalog allows you to search for repositories and other infrastructure services.
    • Dataset Search (Google): Google search engine that helps researchers to find open access data. Complements Google Scholar, the search service for academic studies and reports.
    • Mendeley Data (Elsevier): Research data search engine.
    • DataCite Commons (DataCite): Worldwide search of all publications that have been assigned a DOI. The DataCite Consortium is an international association of mostly public institutions that want to promote access to research data and make these data available.
    • B2FIND (EUDAT): Search engine for research data provided by the European Union as part of the European network EUDAT.

    Additional information

    The website "Finding, Citing, Documenting" of the Leibniz Information Center for Economics offers interesting information on this topic. Although it is primarily aimed at researchers in the social sciences and economics, it could also be relevant for researchers of other disciplines.

  • Citing research data

    There is no international standard for citing research data. However, in addition to the most important information such as author, title and year, the identifier (e.g. DOI or URN), if available, should always be included when citing research data.

    The following examples should serve as a guide:

    Example 1: Citation with DOI information

    Author (year of publication): Title. Version, if available. Publishing institution. Resource type, if applicable. DOI

    Fahrenberg, Jochen (2010): Freiburg Complaint List FBL. Primary data of the 1993 standardization sample. Version 1.0.0. ZPID - Leibniz Center for Psychological Information and Documentation. Data set. doi:10.5160/psychdata.fgjn93fr19

    Example 2: Citation with URN information

    Author (year of publication): Title. Version, if applicable. Publishing institution. Resource type, if applicable. URN

    Medical-Data-Models.Org. A collection of freely available forms. Version 19.Sep.2016. University of Münster. Dataset. urn:nbn:de:hbz:6-64249693781

    Example 3: Citation without identifier

    Author (year of publication): Title. Version, if applicable. Publishing institution. Resource type, if applicable. URL

    Landcare Research Ltd (2003): Annual water deficit - LENZ. Landcare Research Ltd. ESRI Binary Grid Raster Dataset. https://lris.scinfo.org.nz/layer/97-lenz-annual-water-deficit/

    Further Information

    More information can be found on the website "Find, Cite, Doc" or the website of the Lincoln University.

  • Data subject to charge

    When searching for paid data, we recommend the same search procedure as for free data.

    Many fee-based data are freely available for use in the context of university research, sometimes after personal registration or a formal request with an explanation of the research purpose.

    In addition, the ULB Münster has licensed some commercial databases. You can use these licensed resources when your computer is located inside the university network.

    If the ULB Münster has not licensed the database you need, you may be able to find it at a specialized library, for example at the ZBW (Leibniz Information Center for Economics) in Kiel/Hamburg or at the GESIS (Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) in Cologne/Mannheim.

    Other chargeable data

    Some data, such as the "Mikrodaten der statistischen Ämter der Länder und des Bundes", can only be obtained for a fee.

    There are also data that are the result of cooperation between public institutions and private companies (public-private partnerships). Again, there may be a fee to use these data and/or it may be available only after a certain period of time (embargo period). In this case, it is best to contact the relevant institution and ask about possible uses.