KI Data Repository - publish and search for research data

KI Data Repository (KI DR) is a data repository where Karolinska Institutet's (KI's) researchers can store data. A prerequisite for storage is that KI is the research principal (huvudman) for the data.

Access to data is regulated depending on what the data set contains. Data stored in KI DR receives a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), which is a permanent identifier. A permanent identifier is important for the data to be cited correctly and to be possible to retrieve for a long time to come, and something that publishers often require when publishing journal articles.

When stored in KI DR, the data becomes searchable in the Swedish National Data Service's (SND) research data catalogue. SND is a national infrastructure for research data run by a consortium of Swedish universities, of which KI is one.

Store, publish and share research data in KI DR

Step 1: Log into DORIS to describe your data

To store data in KI DR, you first make a data description in DORIS, the Swedish National Data Service's (SND) system for describing and publishing research data. Metadata in DORIS follows standards that make your dataset searchable and increase the possibilities that your data can be reused.

Log in with your KI ID to describe and share data via DORIS. When you are logged in to DORIS, click on "New data description" to start a description. SND has more information on how to describe and share data: Describe and share data (SND).

Begin your data publication as soon as you submit your manuscript to ensure that the data description is completed on time and that you can obtain a DOI to reference the data in your publication.

For datasets larger than 1 TB, contact rdo@ki.se before starting the data description.

Step 2: Your data description is reviewed before publication

The description is reviewed by administrators at KI's university library. You may be contacted with suggestions that improve the quality of the description (the metadata).

Research data with personal data

If your research project deals with sensitive personal data, an approved ethics review from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority is always required for storage in KI DR.

Sensitive personal data, such as data on health, sex life or sexual orientation, genetic data or biometric data that uniquely identifies a person needs to be pseudonymised or anonymised before storage in KI DR.

Pseudonymized data, data where direct personal data is replaced with a code and the code key is preserved, can be disclosed to specific recipients under certain conditions. The conditions for disclosure are that the data must be used for research, that the new research is covered by an ethics permit, and that the data continues to be protected by the recipient of the data.

In order for your data to be disclosed, the ethics application must contain information that pseudonymised data may be shared within and outside the EU/EEA area. Read more about what pseudonymized data means in the Guide to the application for ethics review.

In order for your research data to be possible to reuse, it must be stated in the consent form that collected data can be used in future research. Read more about consent in the Guide to the application for ethics review.

Anonymized data, data where direct personal data has been replaced with code and the code key has been destroyed, can be made available openly for download via SND's catalogue.

Step 3: Data is published

When the data description is complete, it is published and becomes searchable in SND's research data catalogue. Datasets described in DORIS and stored in KI DR are given persistent identifiers of the type DOI.

Search and access research data published by KI's researchers

To search for data published by KI's researchers in SND's catalog, filter on "Karolinska Institutet" as Research Principal. Most open datasets are available for direct download. Some open datasets are too large to download directly. To access these, send a request for data via the "Add request for data" function under the heading of each data record.

To send a request for data with restrictions, you also use the "Add request for data" function. You will be contacted if additional information is needed to assess your request. Additional information can, for example, be an ethics permit for the new processing of data as well as information about how the data will be protected with you as the recipient. Requests are processed according to SND's Checklist for disclosure of research data with personal data (in Swedish).

When reusing research data, cite the data. SND provides the correct form for citation in the data records. An example of a correct data citation (according to APA):

Yoshizato, T., & Jacobsen, S. E. (2023). DNA-sekvenseringsdata för MDS patienter behandlade med allogen transplantation (Version 1) [Dataset]. Karolinska Institutet. Available at: https://doi.org/10.48723/0k7w-2k05