Update your Public Dataset

These guidelines provide helpful recommendations for editing your published data or publishing a new dataset version.

Do you need to update your data or metadata now that it's published? Yes, you can edit your dataset after publication!

When modifying a data publication, it's important to consider the impact your change will have on the research products that have previously used and cited your data.

Scenarios for updating your published dataset

ESS-DIVE does not have formal requirements for updated published datasets, also known as versioning. However, we have a set of guidelines and minimum expectations that we strongly advise you follow when versioning public datasets.

Data contributors should choose whether the changes are substantial enough to require a new DOI or intentionally versioning the metadata.

There are three common ways that data is updated on ESS-DIVE:

  1. Major Version (new DOI)

See examples of versioned datasets on ESS-DIVE.

Do you have feedback on how you would prefer versioning to work? Let us know! Email [email protected] or use our contact form.


1. Minor Edit

Typically, minor edits correct any mistakes or missing information in the metadata or data that were identified after publication. Examples of minor edits include:

  • Minor File Edits: Bug fixes, correcting erroneous data points and metadata in files.

  • Minor Metadata Edits: Adding authors that weren't previously credited, correcting mistakes in any metadata field, or expanding on metadata to more accurately describe the data and research that was originally published.

2. Minor Version

Typically, minor versions append new data or provide non-breaking updates that allow for continued use of the data product. Such changes must be within the scope of your original dataset publication. Examples of minor version edits include:

  • Minor File Version: adding new data points for published time series.

  • Minor Metadata Version: Expanding on metadata to reflect new version.

You can choose to create a new dataset to publish new data if you prefer. See the list of versioned dataset examples below.

3. Major Version: New DOI

If you have major updates that alter the scope of the original dataset publication, you should create a new dataset and DOI; the original dataset is then maintained under the existing DOI. ESS-DIVE recommends adding a related reference to both the original and new datasets that link to each other.

What constitutes a major change will vary depending on the original purpose of the dataset. It is up to the discretion and expertise of the data contributor to decide which course of action is most scientifically suitable for their data.

Contact ESS-DIVE Support ([email protected]) if you would like to discuss your use case in detail to help come to a decision.

Datasets cannot be deleted


Examples of updated or versioned datasets

Here are some example versioned datasets that you use as reference. Since the purpose and type of changes vary across datasets, you’ll notice that each example has been versioned slightly differently:

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