Compilation of Recommendations

Details

Short Title

FsF-F1-02D Data is assigned a persistent identifier.

Source Documnent

FAIRsFAIR Data Object Assessment Metrics

Source Document Link

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4081213

Publishing Organisation

FAIRsFAIR

Date of Publication

2020-10-12

Topic

Discovery/ indexing/ search, Interlinking/ interoperability

Addressed Stakeholders

data service providers, research community, data stewards

Keywords

persistent identifier, PID

Text

In this specification, we make a distinction between the uniqueness and persistence of an identifier. An HTTP URL (the address of a given unique resource on the web) is globally unique, but may not be persistent as the URL of data may be not accessible (link rot problem) or the data available under the original URL may be changed (content drift problem). Identifiers based on, e.g., the Handle System, DOI, ARK are both globally unique and persistent. They are maintained and governed such that they remain stable and resolvable for the long term. The persistent identifier (PID) of a data object may be resolved (point) to a landing page with metadata containing further information on how to access the data content, in some cases a downloadable artefact, or none if the data or repository is no longer maintained. Therefore, ensuring persistence is a shared responsibility between a PID service provider (e.g., datacite) and its clients (e.g., data repositories). For example, the DOI system guarantees the persistence of its identifiers through its social (e.g., policy) and technical infrastructures, whereas a data provider ensures the availability of the resource (e.g., landing page, downloadable artefact) associated with the identifier.