Options to publish without uploading files

If you have a file you can share, you should upload it. Using a platform like Figshare makes your research findable by other researchers (through the metadata) but if they can’t easily access the file(s) it’s not really open research.

With that said, you may have research that you want to publish but cannot upload the files. Maybe the files are already uploaded and available somewhere else on the internet and it doesn’t make sense to move them. Or perhaps the data you want to publish is not digital but you still want others to know the data exists and how to access it.

In Figshare there are two options:

1. Link to an external file

On your item page click the Link to external files radio button at the top of the file upload area and copy your link in the box. Be sure to click the check mark to save the link. If you’ve uploaded files, you will need to remove them before being able to select this option. Fill in the rest of the metadata and publish your item.

2. Publish a metadata only record

On your item page click the Set as metadata record radio button at the top of the screen and enter a reason. If you’ve uploaded files, you will need to remove them before being able to select this option. Fill in the rest of the metadata and publish your item.