1. Whom can I contact if I have questions about Tethys?
If the questions are not adequately answered by the website, the manual or the FAQs, the Tethys team can be contacted by email at repository@geosphere.at.

2. Is Tethys a recognized research data repository?
Yes, Tethys RDR is an officially recognized research data repository that is both listed on re3data.org and certified with the CoreTrustSeal.

3. Is there a data publication policy?
Yes, there is a data publication policy that can be read in the online manual.

4. Is there a mission statement?
GeoSphere Austria has a legal mandate (GSAG §4(3)51) to build and operate a central data infrastructure for science, business, administration and society that enables automated access. An important part of this infrastructure is Tethys RDR, where, among other things, georeferenced, geoscientific research data such as measurements, GIS data, experiments, monitoring data and 3D models are published freely. This data is created both within the organization and in collaboration with other institutions. The task of the CTS-certified Tethys RDR is to provide research data in accordance with the FAIR and open data principles. This means that the data is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Great importance is attached to scientific traceability, sustainable publications and long-term archiving.
As an integral part of supporting the publication process, the Tethys team also offers editorial assistance. All published data is given a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), which allows it to be cited clearly and easily.

5. What is Tethys's guideline?
In this digital data repository, primarily digital, georeferenced research data from the fields of geology and geophysics, which were created at or on behalf of GeoSphere Austria, are to be published and archived sustainably with a DOI. The georeferenced data publications and their metadata, which are provided by Tethys RDR, are freely accessible and can be used depending on usage rights.
All data publications are generally visible, except those that are subject to an embargo. This data is only available at a set point in time, the metadata is publicly accessible at any time. The Tethys RDR is based on two established principles from science: Open Science and the FAIR Guiding Principles, which enable the sustainable archiving and publication of reusable scientific data. Data that has already been published cannot be deleted unless there is a legal conflict. In this case, an internal process is activated that removes the metadata and data from the landing page and indicates the reason for deletion.

6. Does Tethys implement the FAIR principles?
Yes, the research data is published according to the FAIR principles.

7. Which licenses are available for data publication?
For data publication, only two variants of the Open Data licenses according to Creative Commons are available. The preferred license is CC BY (attribution only), as it is 100% consistent with the Open Science principles. If this license is not sufficient, the more restricted CC BY-SA license can also be used. Important: If third-party data has been incorporated into the data, it must be checked whether the existing usage license is compatible with the selected license.

8. Which metadata standards does Tethys use?
In addition to Dublin Core, Tethys also uses DataCite and ISO 19139.

9. Which persistent identifiers does Tethys use?
The published data is published with a registered Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

1. Why should I publish in Tethys?
There are many good reasons to publish data in a research data repository. In addition, there are some particularly compelling reasons to publish subject-related research data in Tethys. These are presented in the following overview:

General added value

• The data is prepared in such a way that it is secure and permanently available.
• This research data ideally has an international reach and is recognized globally.
• The data is given a unique ID and is permanently findable and citable. Tethys uses DOIs for this.
• Interested parties can access the data worldwide and reuse it in accordance with the specified license conditions and scientific standards.
• It promotes international and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Researchers can prove that the data is made accessible under the principles of open science and FAIR.
• Valuable data can be used efficiently by science without wasting new resources on generating it.
• Large amounts of data can be processed more quickly, which accelerates knowledge building.
• Citing the data makes the recognition for one's own work visible.
• The data is not lost in local or institutional archives, but gains value through its accessibility.
• The metadata of the data is machine-readable, making it easier to find, use and integrate into various services can.

Specific advantages of Tethys:

• Tethys is a specialized repository for geoscientific data.
• All data is spatially located.
• The data sets and metadata are carefully checked by a team of editors and reviewers.
• Full support for publishing data.
• Tethys and the data stored in it are securely hosted within GeoSphere Austria.
• In addition to the data sets, additional descriptions can also be published.
• Tethys is continuously being developed to meet the needs of users and research funders.

2. What data is included in the research data repository?
Georeferenced, processed and structured data that is relevant to the subject is published in Tethys RDR. In addition, graphics, images or texts can be published if they improve the understanding of the data. The decision as to which data is included is usually made by the Tethys RDR editorial team.

3. What do I have to do to be able to publish data?
If it is clear that the data is suitable for Tethys and the necessary requirements are known, the Tethys team (repository@geosphere.at) can be contacted. The exact requirements for data publication can be found in the manual. A checklist available there in Tethys helps to quickly check whether the data can be published. The final decision as to which data is included is made by the Tethys editorial team.

4. Can externally created research data be published?
Currently, only research data created by or in collaboration with GeoSphere Austria is included in the Tethys RDR. If you are generally interested, please contact the Tethys team at: repository@geosphere.at.

5. Can I publish the research data if several people created it?
This is possible if the people involved have been verifiably informed and have consented to the data publication. The submitter is responsible for the data publication and must obtain the consent of his co-creators. The Tethys RDR editor can have this consent presented to him or inform the co-creators personally about the upcoming data publication.

6. What do I have to do if the data is based on third-party data?
All rights to the third-party data used must be fully clarified. The existing right of use must at least allow further processing of the data. It must also be checked whether the right of use is compatible with the selected Creative Commons license.

7. Will the data be published as open data?
Yes, the data will be published as open data and with open access in accordance with the principles of open science.

8. In which formats can I publish the data?
There are a number of formats that meet the criteria of "openness", "security" and "sustainability". Tethys RDR currently supports the following formats for the data and its supplementary materials: ascii-grid, csv, txt, gpkg, jpeg, pdf (PDF/A), png, shp and NetCDF.

9. In which language can I publish the data?
It is recommended to publish the data sets in English to ensure international reach. Regardless of the publication language, however, the data publications must contain both an English and a German main title and an abstract/summary. The language must be specified at the beginning of the upload process and a later change is not possible. Depending on the language selected, the entire publication must be written consistently in this language. In addition to the classic abstract, a chapter on the methods used and/or a technical description can also be added. However, it is recommended to publish more detailed descriptions in the form of a PDF together with the data sets.

10. What information must be included in the data publication?
The data publication consists of three parts: The first part contains the metadata that is requested or automatically created during the data upload. The second part contains the optional data explanation. The third part consists of the actual data sets.

Metadata: Metadata is the heart of every digital publication, as it ensures that the data is discoverable, visible and searchable. If standardized metadata elements are used, the data can also be searched automatically and made accessible outside the repository. Tethys RDR uses standardized metadata and supports its machine readability.

Data description or explanation: The data explanation provides a detailed description of the published data sets that goes beyond the standardized metadata description. It is an essential part of the publication, especially when the metadata alone is not sufficient to fully describe the data. The goal of the data explanation is to document the data in such a way that it can be understood and used according to scientific best practices in the future - at least 10 years, ideally much longer. The data explanation can be omitted if there is a comprehensive text publication that takes on this function and is accessible to users. In this case, the link to the text publication must be provided in the metadata. If there is no clear and understandable data description, the data will not be published in the Tethys RDR.

Data sets: The Tethys RDR only archives and publishes data sets. These consist of several logically related data that can be used directly as data sets without any further manual or technical intermediate steps.

11. Can I assign my data publication to a project?
A project can be assigned to the data publication. If the project already exists, it can be selected directly when uploading the data. If the project has not yet been created, the project details (name, designation, description) must be communicated to the Tethys RDR editors team. The editors team then creates the project in the database. To do this, they need the information mentioned in advance in less than 100 words. As soon as the project is entered, it appears in the selection list for the data publication and can be selected.

12. Can I set an embargo and what do I have to take into account?
A data publication can be published without the option to download up to two years before release.
There are several reasons for blocking the data: For example, a publisher can demand that the data be made available before the associated text is published. Funders who pursue economic interests can also request a temporary block of up to two years. If an embargo is necessary, the data and metadata can already be published in the RDR. However, the data will only be automatically released after the embargo has expired. Until then, only the metadata is visible, so that the publication can be found and read.
One advantage of this early publication is that it protects the research data from unlawful use by third parties. Before setting an embargo, it should be checked whether it is necessary and does not conflict with the interests of the funding body.

13. Do I have to publish my data publication with keywords?
Keywords help users find data publications faster and easier. At least three keywords are required. The keywords should be representative and unique to facilitate searching in Tethys and other services that provide the data. It is important not to use words from the title of the publication as keywords, as these are already taken into account in the search. The Tethys RDR currently only supports "uncontrolled keywords". A selection list with a standardized vocabulary is being planned.

14. Is there an upload limit?
Data publications are downloaded not only within GeoSphere Austria, but worldwide under different technical conditions. In order to make the data provision as compact as possible, the maximum file size has been limited to 512 MB.
If larger amounts of data are to be published, the RDR team should be contacted.

15. Can I refer the data publication to existing publications?
During the submission process, references can be made to existing data and text publications. Various relationships can be defined for this. It is important to only use sustainable references with a persistent identifier (PID) so that the links do not lead nowhere. In the Tethys RDR, these are described and clearly defined under the metadata element "Dataset References". Further details can be found in the manual.

16. Is the data publication reviewed?
Currently, the editors check data publications for technical and content completeness at their own discretion. If necessary, a subject matter expert is called in to check the content completeness. There is currently only one "review on demand". The editorial team checks the data publication for formal criteria such as:

• complete metadata,
• understandable and comprehensible data explanations,
• consistency with the data sets,
• as well as the readability and comprehensibility of the data sets themselves.

17. How can the data be handed over to the editor before the final upload?
Smaller amounts of data can be sent directly by email. For larger data sets, file sharing systems or, if accessible, internal directories should be used.

18. Are the draft publications also saved?
Yes, the drafts and the associated correspondence are stored in a separate directory.

19. How do the editors handle the review process?
The editors make comments and point out errors or ambiguities, but do not edit the data files themselves. Corrections must be made by the submitters or creators. The editors check the data and its description for traceability, completeness and plausibility. If there are data descriptions, corrections and comments are noted directly in them. Otherwise, a separate correction sheet is created. To avoid unintentional changes by third parties, the data itself is not edited or changed by the editors.

20. I would like to publish different data set types together. Is that possible?
The controlling editors check the data and its description for traceability, completeness and plausibility. If there are descriptions of the data, corrections and comments are entered directly there. If necessary, a separate correction sheet is created. The editors themselves do not change or edit the data to ensure that it is not accidentally changed.
Data record types: This freely definable metadata element is used to classify data records. This metadata element can also be used to search for specific data record types.
In order to keep an overview of a data publication and make it easier to find, it should not be too extensive. It is a good idea to check whether the data can be divided into smaller, more manageable units. These units can be linked or related to one another. If it makes sense to combine different data record types in one publication, the "Mixed Type" type is available as a selection.

21. Is there a precise workflow for how the data publication works?
There is a workflow that describes the publication process. This can be read in the manual.

22. Can research sites already published in Tethys RDR be deleted again?
Once the data has been published, it cannot be changed, added to or deleted. In exceptional cases, it is possible to block access to data sets, but the metadata is always retained. This is necessary to ensure citability and scientific traceability at all times. It is therefore particularly important to prepare the publication carefully and to consider exactly how the data should be published and under which license.
The metadata description linked to the publication cannot generally be changed, blocked or deleted in Tethys RDR. In exceptional cases, however, the published data files can be blocked. This means that they can no longer be viewed, downloaded or distributed.

23. Can errors discovered later in the data publication be corrected?
Errors in data sets that have already been published cannot be corrected directly. Instead, it is possible to publish the corrected data set as a new version. Spelling errors in the metadata can be corrected. However, if information is added or removed, the Tethys editorial team will examine each case individually to see whether versioning of the data publication is necessary.

24. Is there a checklist to keep track of the most important points?
Yes, there is a checklist that is provided in both the manual and the metadata form.