How to make a dataset public#

Making a dataset public lets anyone, signed in or not, open its page and read its description, dates, identifiers and counts. Do it when you are ready to tell the community what the dataset is. Editing stays with the people you list on it.

Before you start#

You need the Can manage level on the dataset or on the project above it. Only managers see the Visibility field. See How access to a record is decided.

Steps#

  1. Open the dataset’s Contributors tab. Check that only people you trust hold Can edit or Can manage. A public dataset keeps its levels, so these people can still change it.

  2. Open the Manage menu on the dataset page and choose Edit details.

  3. Under Visibility, choose Public.

  4. Select Save & continue.

  5. Open the dataset in a private browser window. The page should show its details and offer no editing controls.

The result#

The dataset’s page opens to everyone. It appears on the Datasets screen, and the Private badge and the private-dataset notice are gone. The badge reads Unpublished until the dataset is published.

Making a dataset public does not release its samples and measurements. They stay hidden until the dataset is published, and the page tells visitors so. Publication is a separate step that a researcher cannot take from a portal screen. See Dataset publication, DOIs and DataCite metadata.

When the dataset sits in a private project, visitors can open the dataset but do not see the project named or linked. Make the project public on its Edit details screen if you want it shown.