figshare help

How to use Collections

Collections are ways of collating data that bring it together under a theme. They can be either private or public and can be assigned a DOI.

How to create a Collection

Go to the Collections tab under My Data. Complete the sections with a green dot next to them to make it public. Click Save changes once you’ve completed the form.

How to add data to a Collection

There are two ways to add data to a Collection:

a) Once you’ve created the Collection, select Add public items or My data. If you select from public items, you can search and select the items you wish to add to your collection. The same process applies if you choose from your data. If you’re a member of an institution that is using Figshare for Institution, you can also filter by your institution’s data.

If you are using a Collection to group your own items, consider adding the Collection DOI to the Reference field for each item. Someone who finds any of the member items will then be able to find your Collection and the related items.

b) If you find a public item you wish to add to a Collection, simply select +Collect and choose the Collection to add it to.

How to publish a Collection

Once you’ve collated your data, you can make your Collection public by selecting the Manage gear wheel on the right side of the screen and selecting Publish collection. Once you’ve published a collection, it’s permanent.

Updating a Collection

In order to display metadata changes or new items that have been added to or removed from the collection, a new version of the collection must be generated. Once the changes have been made, click on the 'Manage' cog wheel in the top right of the collection and select 'Generate version'.



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