Account - Frequently Asked Questions

I am not affiliated with UNC. Can I still use UNC Dataverse to share my data?

The UNC Dataverse user policy has recently been updated to limit data sharing within UNC Dataverse to UNC faculty, students, and staff. However, we recognize that UNC researchers often partner with external collaborators on projects; therefore, external collaborators are permitted to share data within a UNC research project dataverse.

If you are not affiliated with UNC and are not an external collaborator, you will not be able to create any new dataverses or share data within UNC Dataverse. We recommend exploring Harvard Dataverse as an open data repository option.

I am an external collaborator/co-PI/partner on a UNC-based research initiative that is using UNC Dataverse to share data. How do I request permission to contribute to the research project dataverse? 

The first step is to create a UNC Dataverse account.  

• If your institution uses Shibboleth single sign-on as part of the InCommon Federation as a Research and Scholarship entity, you can simply click Login and select your institution from the dropdown menu.  

• If your institution does not use Shibboleth single sign-on, you will need to be granted UNC Affiliate status to request an ONYEN for logging into UNC Dataverse. This process requires the UNC PI/collaborator/partner to submit an affiliate registration form. The instructions for this process are detailed here: https://research.unc.edu/vcr-ubc-hr/affiliates/    

Once you have a UNC Dataverse account, you will need to contact the Admin(s) of the UNC research project dataverse that you wish to contribute to. The Admin can assign your UNC Dataverse account a role within the Permissions page of their project dataverse.

I am an Admin of a research project dataverse within UNC Dataverse and am unable to get affiliate status for my contributor(s). How can I manage future contributions from non-UNC, non-Shibboleth users? 

For submissions from users that are not affiliated with UNC or an institution that uses Shibboleth, we recommend the research project dataverse Admin perform the data deposits on the user’s behalf. The Admin will be responsible for ensuring that the data and materials being deposited comply with UNC Dataverse Terms of Use. Admins will maintain ownership of the dataset record; however, the original contributor’s email may be provided in the dataset record for users to contact with questions, etc.  

I am an Admin for a research project dataverse and am leaving my institution for an institution that does not use Shibboleth. What are my options for maintaining access to my research project dataverse? 

If your research project dataverse has collaborators from UNC, you can request that they submit an affiliate registration form to grant you UNC affiliate status.  

If there are no UNC-based collaborators on your project dataverse, you can give Admin permissions to collaborators at institutions that use Shibboleth single sign-on. They will be able to maintain the dataverse on your behalf.  

If neither option is feasible, please contact us.

I am an Admin for my dataverse and need to add a collaborator as a contributor. How do I grant them permissions within my dataverse?

To grant permissions to a user, navigate to your project dataverse and click Edit. Select Permissions from the drop-down menu. Under Users/Groups, select ‘Assign Roles to Users/Groups’. In the pop-up window, enter the user account name and select it from the drop-down. Please note that users must have a UNC Dataverse account to be given permissions. In the same pop-up window, select the role you would like to assign to this user. Clicking on the role will provide a description of the types of actions that role may take. Click ‘Save Changes’.

If I leave my institution, can I transfer my UNC Dataverse account to my new institutional account?

For account transfers, please Submit a Help Ticket. Provide your current account email address and username from UNC Dataverse along with your new institutional email address.  

The account verification email is missing the verification link. How do I verify my email address?

This is a known bug for non-Shibboleth users who created a UNC Dataverse account before our updated User Policy (pre-November 2022) or prior to our upgrade to Dataverse 4.0. We are unable to resolve this issue at the moment; however, users are still able to use UNC Dataverse fully without limitations even if their email address is not verified.

Any user that creates a UNC Dataverse account using their Shibboleth Single Sign-on will automatically be verified and will not receive an account verification email.