Research Data Management Services

In accordance with emerging funder requirements and legislation, the data resulting from the majority of funded research projects are now subject to sharing and retention requirements. Whether or not these requirements apply, preserving and archiving research data is a key step in the research data lifecycle and complying with the University of Utah's 3 year data retention policy following the completion of a research project.

The J. Willard Marriott Library manages The Hive: University of Utah Research Data Repository. Publishing data with The Hive includes a hands-on curation and guidance from the library's data librarians and a DOI. Datasets shared with The Hive are guaranteed to be publicly accessible through the platform for at least 10 years. The Hive requires datasets to be published under open access (creative commons or similar) licenses and have a total size <1TB. For additional information, see the about page or contact us.

With the aid of an NSF Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) award, the  Center for High Performance Computing  has built a prototype state-wide archive system. This system provides infrastructure that allows researchers to satisfy the data sharing, resiliency, and retention requirements placed on published and complete datasets. The system will also provide an opportunity for researchers to explore sharing datasets with national data-sharing platforms (e.g., National Data Platform, NDP, and Open Science Data Federation, OSDF) to promote caching datasets close to computational resources. This system can only house open data; that is, it may only be used for data without security regulations or restrictions.

A multitude of general and domain-specific repositories are also available outside of the University. For help navigating your options, see our repository selection, see our decision tree here to walk through the selection process and key considerations. For more comprehensive training, register for RED 769: Data Storage and Repository Selection.

For additional information or help selecting a preservation and sharing location, see our guide or schedule a consultation.

Many scholarly publishers offer researchers persistent URLs in the form of DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers), ensuring long-term access to scholarship and preventing broken links. DOIs also contain metadata that facilitate database searching and optimal sorting of results by enabling the identification of connections between scholarly works, scholars, and institutions.

Graduate students and faculty @ the U are able to create as many as 10 DOIs and/or ARKs each year through the J. Willard Marriott Library. For more information about persistent identifiers, see the Digital Preservation Handbook's overview of persistent identifiers.

In addition to the 10 free DOIs available through the library each year, every dataset submitted to The Hive receives a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). As of September 2026, DOIs are automatically generated for datasets during the dataset upload / submission process.

We provide consultations on all things research data management (RDM), from introductory sessions that provide an overview of basic principles and practices, to training on specific topics or activities, including:
        Developing data management and sharing plans (DMSPs).
        Finding and accessing datasets for research projects.
        Data analysis and visualization.
        Research data curation and documentation.
        File and folder organization and back-ups.
        Navigating research infrastructure @ the U (i.e. selecting a data storage location).
        Defining and handling sensitive data.
        Sharing and preserving research data.

Email us at mlib-data@lists.utah.edu to set up a consultation!

We highly recommend SPARC Open's data sharing policy tool for tracking, comparing, and understanding U.S. federal funder data sharing policies.s guide data-related mandates. Additional relevant policies and legislation, as well as additional resources for training and compliance can be found on the the Policies and Legislation page of our RDM Guide.
For official guidance from the University regarding compliance with federal data sharing mandates, refer to the VPR's Public Access website.

For training on policies enforced by federal funding agencies, check out RED 304: Introduction to Research Data Management (overview of relevant policies), RED 764: Research Data Management and Sharing (DMSP requirements), and RED 769: Data Storage and Repository Selection (includes guidance for complying with data sharing mandates).

Most University of Utah policies--as well as many of the rules, procedures, and guidelines associated with each policy--listed under Research (part 7) in the Regulations Library are at least somewhat relevant to the acquisition, handling, or sharing of research data. Policies of particular importance are Policy 7-001: Research Misconduct Policy, Policy 7-002: Patents and Inventions, and Policy 7-003: Ownership of Copyrightable Works and Related Works. Other relevant policies fall under General Policies (part 1), General Administration and Operations (part 3), and Information Technology (part 4). Policy 4-004: University of Utah Information Security Policy is especially important as it impacts day to day data handling and management, especially for sensitive and restricted data. 

Are you interested in a training session or workshop tailored to your class, lab, or department? The Marriott library's research data management librarians are available to provide small- and large-group trainings and workshops customized to your needs! Contact us anytime to schedule a session.

For scheduled events and training sessions, see the calendar at the top of this page.

Our Research Data Management Guide covers all aspects of research data management and links to key resources @ the U and beyond. The above tabs contain additional ways to connect with us and learn more about RDM, including consultations and small-group training sessions.

The RDM Certificate Program, offered by the Office of Research Education, was co-designed by the Marriott Library's Research Data Management Librarians to covers essential data management concepts and activities for each stage of the research data lifecycle. Click on the hyperlinked text to read more about the curriculum and course offerings, and remember that all classes are FREE and do not require participants to be enrolled in the certificate program.

Check out the courses and workshops offered by DELPHI and Data Carpentries for upskilling opportunities in data science and analytics.

Explore the Center for High Performance Computing's training calendar for opportunities to learn more about data science, application development, and a variety of specialty topics.