Definitions

Updated: May 20, 2025

★ These definitions are to be used on all formal ‘terms’ webpages and in membership agreements.

Accept/Acceptance.: A conclusion by Dryad Curation personnel that a Dataset is suitable for Publication.
Administration Fee.: The fee charged to unsponsored authors who request an invoice for the payment of their Data Publication Charge.
Annual Service Fee.: The annual fee for service paid by Dryad partners.
CC0 (CC Zero).: A universal instrument used to waive copyright and database rights to the extent an individual may possess these rights in their work under the laws of at least one jurisdiction, even if the work is free of restrictions in others.
Curation.: Human evaluation to ensure data is accessible, usable, and appropriate and licensed for open sharing.
Dataset.: A package of metadata and files related to one course of investigation. Datasets may or may not be submitted alongside a manuscript or published article but are usually defined by the research narrative. They can include various file types and sizes. Dryad assigns a unique DOI to each dataset.
Data Publishing Charge (DPC).: The fee to publish data, which may be billed to the unsponsored author (for individual datasets) or to the Sponsor (datasets published each year).
Dryad Community.: All partners, supporters, researchers, and engaged authors.
Dryad Governing Documents.: Dryad’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.
Dryad Infrastructure and Services.: All Dryad’s functions and offerings, including associated systems, hardware, software, interface and know-how.
End User.: Submitters and Users collectively.
End User Terms of Service.: The terms and conditions applicable to End Users.
Fees.: Collectively, Annual Service Fees and Data Publishing Charges.
Identifiers.: Persistent identifiers such as Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs).
Large Data Fee.: The fee charged for larger datasets, as set out in the Fee Schedule. Large Data Fees may be incurred at the point of initial Submission or following a Versioning of the Dataset.
Metadata.: Information describing a Dataset.
Partner.: An entity that has executed a Dryad Partnership Agreement/the fact of being a Dryad partner.
Partnership Agreement.: An agreement between an entity and Dryad that governs the access to and use of the Dryad Infrastructure and Services by the Partner’s affiliated researchers.
Publish/Publication.: The public distribution of a Dataset on the Dryad Website under a CC0 instrument.
Research Data.: The information or materials collected, observed or created to validate, reproduce or better understand research findings.
Scholarly Publication.: Publications related to scholarly research such as, but not limited to, a research article in a scholarly journal, preprint, a book, chapter, conference proceedings, monograph or dissertation.
Sponsor.: The act of covering the Data Publishing Charge for the Submitter, usually through a Partnership Agreement.
Sponsored author.: An author whose data publication charges are covered by a Dryad Partner.
Submission Integration.: The process whereby a Submission to Dryad is coordinated with the manuscript processing system of a Scholarly Publication.
Submit/Submission.: The deposition of a Dataset on the Dryad Website/a Dataset so deposited.
Submitter.: The individual who Submits a Dataset to the Dryad Website.
Terms of Service.: The terms and conditions applicable to Partner entities.
Unsponsored author.: An author whose data publication charges are not covered by a Dryad Partner.
User.: An individual who views, downloads or otherwise reuses Datasets from the Dryad Website.
Version/Versioning.: Updates to Datasets after Publication to correct errors in the Published files or to provide additional data supporting the findings.
Waiver.: A waiver of fees (partial or complete) to Publish a Dataset to the Dryad Website that may be granted to a Submitter.
Website.: Dryad’s website, datadryad.org.