Submission Tool FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Submission Tool

What does the BCO-DMO Submission Tool do?

Our online Submission Tool (submit.bco-dmo.org) allows you to submit data to and register projects with BCO-DMO. Guidance about preparing your data and metadata for submission and registering projects can be found in the Preparing Data for Submission section.

After your data are submitted and published at BCO-DMO, they will have Dataset and Project Landing Pages like these examples below:

Dataset Landing Page: "Pore water geochemistry" https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/813166

Project Landing Page: "Organic Carbon Oxidation and Iron Remobilization by West Antarctic Shelf Sediments" https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/806864

What happens after I submit?

You will receive an email confirming we received your submission and it is waiting for a data manager to review it.

A data manager will review your submission and get back to you with any further questions within 48 hours. If you don't receive an email from us within 48 hours confirming we have everything we need, please check your Spam folder for the message.

We may ask you to revise your metadata or resubmit files if there are any issues.

Once we have all the data and metadata we need, we will notify you that your submission is complete and is awaiting a data manager to process your data at BCO-DMO. We will also give you an estimate of how long our data-processing queue is at that time.

What does the submission status mean?

The status of your submission will be displayed in the Submission Tool when you view your list of Datasets and Projects. Below are definitions of each status.

• Draft = Your submission has been started as a draft but you need to finish uploading files and metadata, and then submit it.

• Under Review = Your submission has been received and is under review.

• Action Requested = We need your input in order to publish your submission. Details of the request have been emailed to you from BCO-DMO.

• Submission Accepted= You successfully submitted data or a project. BCO-DMO will contact you with any questions that arise or with a request to review your BCO-DMO pages.

• Processing = Your submission is being prepared for publication. BCO-DMO will contact you with any questions that arise or with a request to review your BCO-DMO page.

• Will Not Publish = Your submission can’t be published. BCO-DMO will contact you by email with the reason we cannot publish your submission. Please contact us with questions or concerns.

• Complete = There are no further tasks for this submission. Your metadata page has been published. Any restricted data will be made public on the release date you provided.

Can I upload a large dataset to the submission tool?

If you have a dataset to submit that is greater than 100GB in total, please contact BCO-DMO in advance of your submission so we can help coordinate your file transfers ([e-mail]).

When uploading files to the submission tool, we request that you limit the size of any individual file to 10GB. If you use the "Add folder" option to select a whole folder of files to upload, we also ask that no individual file within that folder exceeds 10GB.

The time it takes to upload larger files will vary depending on your internet connection. If you encounter any issues on the upload step, you should save your draft and contact [e-mail] so we can help troubleshoot or determine another way to obtain your files.

My data is already in an online file share system. Can I submit that to you? (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive)

Yes, please complete your metadata entry using the Submission Tool and submit it. Then, email [e-mail] with the link to your files. We will coordinate the file transfer with you by email and confirm we received everything you intended to submit. If you have more than 100 GB of files to submit and don't already have them in a file share, we can send you a Dropbox File Request so you can upload them. You don't need a Dropbox account to do that, and it won't count toward your Dropbox quota if you do have a Dropbox account.

Will submissions need to be restarted if I can't complete a submission in one session or if I lose wi-fi?

Your submission will be saved as a draft each time you save and continue to the next section of the form. You can also save your submission as a draft if you click on the "Submit" tab and select the "Save as a draft" button.

Who can edit a submission?

When a project or dataset submission is saved as a draft, the submitters and any other collaborators listed in the People section of the form will be able to view and edit submissions if they are logged in to the Submission Tool.

After a project is submitted, no further edits can be made unless it's in the state "Action Requested". In that state, any person listed in the People section of the form will be able to edit the submission after they log in to the tool. If you realize your submission needs edits and it's currently locked, email [e-mail].

Is there another way to submit data or projects if I can't use the online tool?

If you can't submit your data using the online submission tool, please send your data and completed metadata forms (below) as attachments to [e-mail].

• PROJECT.rtf metadata form

  • Please fill out a copy of this form for each project you would like to register with us.

• DATASET.rtf metadata form

  • Please fill out a copy of this metadata form for each Dataset you are submitting.

What do I do if I need more help?

To contact us, please send an email to [e-mail] with any questions.