Sharing data is a critical part of my research process. Making survey data available helps others verify my results, which increases my credibility. It also allows others to use and cite my data to draw their own interpretations and to complement their own research. This is particularly important for research areas in which there isn’t a lot of data available. Archiving my data also gives me peace of mind that the data will not be lost due to equipment failures or misplacing a thumb drive. I know I can access my data in the future because it’s safe in the Illinois Data Bank.

I’m a firm believer in Open Access and Open Data, so I always make a point of making sure my data, survey instruments, and publications are in a repository. The Illinois Data Bank is a safe, sustainable, and secure place to share my data, and has a great reputation on campus and beyond. The level of collaborative service and professionalism of the Illinois Data Bank staff makes me feel confident that my data will be well cared for and available to cite, share, and reuse in the future.

I’d urge other scholars to explore ways to make their data and other research outputs open. It’s a great way to increase awareness of your work, and is much safer than ad hoc data storage, and more affordable than commercial solutions. I kind of feel like an ad for Illinois Data Bank, but I really do believe they’re among the best in the academic data repository business, and there’s nobody I’d rather trust with my data!