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Contributing an Example Notebook

Example notebooks are a great way to showcase how to use your data and help others understand and reproduce your analyses. This page explains how to contribute an example notebook to the DANDI Archive.

What are Example Notebooks?

Example notebooks are Jupyter notebooks that demonstrate how to:

  • Load and access data from a Dandiset
  • Perform basic analyses or visualizations
  • Reproduce figures from associated publications
  • Showcase the potential uses of your data

These notebooks are maintained in the dandi/example-notebooks repository and are available to all DANDI Hub users.

Why Contribute an Example Notebook?

Contributing an example notebook:

  • Makes your data more accessible and usable by others
  • Increases the visibility and impact of your dataset
  • Helps ensure reproducibility of your research
  • Provides a starting point for others to build upon your work
  • Demonstrates the value of your data to the community

How to Contribute an Example Notebook

To contribute an example notebook:

  1. Create a Jupyter notebook that demonstrates how to use your data. Your notebook should:

    • Include clear documentation and comments
    • Load data directly from your published Dandiset using the DANDI API
    • Include examples of basic analyses or visualizations
    • Be well-organized and easy to follow

  2. Submit a pull request to the dandi/example-notebooks repository:

    • Fork the repository
    • Add your notebook to the appropriate directory
    • Submit a pull request with a clear description of your notebook

  3. Wait for review and approval from the DANDI team. Once approved, your notebook will be merged into the repository and made available to all DANDI Hub users.

Best Practices for Example Notebooks

To create effective example notebooks:

  • Start with a clear introduction explaining the purpose of the notebook and the dataset it uses
  • Include installation instructions for any required packages
  • Use relative paths when accessing data to ensure portability
  • Include visualizations to help users understand the data
  • Document any assumptions or limitations of your analyses
  • Test your notebook in the DANDI Hub environment before submitting
  • Keep the notebook focused on demonstrating how to use the data rather than complex analyses

Example Notebook Organization

The dandi/example-notebooks repository is organized into several directories:

  • dandi/: Notebooks that demonstrate general DANDI functionality
  • tutorials/: Notebooks that provide step-by-step tutorials for specific tasks
  • demos/: Notebooks that showcase specific features or use cases
  • {dandiset_id}/: Notebooks that demonstrate how to use a specific Dandiset

When contributing your notebook, place it in the appropriate directory based on its content and purpose.

For more information about the organization of example notebooks, see the README in the example-notebooks repository.