Figshare

Figshare is an online platform—essentially a repository—for storing, sharing and making discoverable all kinds of research outputs: datasets, figures, code, presentations, theses, media, and more. It was launched in 2011 by Mark Hahnel (initially developed during his PhD work) and later supported by Digital Science. 

Why does it matter?

• Credit & citability: Each item uploaded to Figshare receives a DOI (digital object identifier), which means it can be cited much like a traditional publication. 
• Diverse output types: Unlike conventional journals that mostly handle article-PDFs, Figshare accepts all file types and supports broad research outputs—figures, raw data, code, presentations etc. 
• Open research support: It aligns with the principles of making research Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) and supports researchers, institutions, publishers and funders. 
• Institutional infrastructure: Figshare offers services not just for individual researchers but also for entire institutions as an integrated repository solution. 

How does it work (in broad strokes)?

1. A researcher creates an account (free for individual use) and uploads files plus metadata (title, description, author(s), keywords, licence). 
2. On publication (or when desired), the item is made public and assigned a DOI, making it publicly discoverable and citable. 
3. Users can download, preview many file types in-browser, and share links. Institutions and publishers can embed workflows and metrics. 
4. For very large datasets there is a paid “Figshare Plus” option for additional storage beyond standard quotas. 

Key features & advantages

• Supports all file types: There is very wide format support and many formats can be previewed online. 
• Flexible licensing: Users can choose open licences (e.g., CC-BY, CC0) so that reuse is permitted when appropriate.
• Metrics and discoverability: Items are indexed, view/download metrics are provided, and integrations exist for ORCID, GitHub and altmetrics. 
• Institutional repository capability: For universities or publishers, Figshare offers branded portals, workflows, and reporting. 

Limitations / things to consider

• While Figshare is robust, individual depositor metadata may be variable: quality of metadata depends on user input, so discoverability may differ. 
• For very large, highly specialized datasets (especially in domain-specific repositories), Figshare may not always be the optimal choice, users must ensure compliance with funder/institution policies. 
• For free individual accounts, there are storage or size limits, research groups with huge data may need paid tiers. 

Why you (or labs) might use it

• If you produce presentations, datasets, code or media alongside your main publication, Figshare allows you to share these supplementary materials in a way that is citable and visible.
• For interdisciplinary research or outputs that don’t fit a conventional journal format (e.g., posters, videos, raw data), Figshare provides a flexible home.
• If your institution or publisher supports Figshare, you gain repository infrastructure without building it from scratch.
• If you need to meet open data mandates (from funders or journals) then depositing in Figshare is one way to show compliance.