Recommendation 4.4

Recommendation to data infrastructures to allow to assign IGSNs to data records

Description

Status: 23.5.2025

Motivation for this Recommendation:

Integrating IGSNs into data infrastructures enhances the quality, consistency, and interoperability of sample metadata. When systems support the capture and exposure of IGSNs—along with parent-child sample relationships—sample-based data becomes more discoverable, reusable, and reliably linked to other research outputs. Making IGSNs part of harvestable metadata allows for better integration across repositories and platforms, while treating them as authoritative identifiers helps maintain accurate and up-to-date records. This contributes to a more robust, transparent, and FAIR-aligned data ecosystem.

Recommendation

It is recommended, that data infrastructures:

allow to record an IGSN to identify samples and parent samples, and make this data part of the metadata available for harvesting.

treat IGSN metadata as the primary source of truth and update the internal metadata accordingly as necessary.

Also see [1] Baldewein et al. (2023). FAIR WISH D7 -Standard Operating Procedure for automatic IGSN registration. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10401380

Binding Convention:

mandatory	conditional	optional
Helmholtz FAIR Principle

Precondition for Implementation:

Related Recommendations

Parent:

Dependent:

Other: none

Contributors

Names of contributors to this recommendation

Content

1. Explanation of the Background and Benefits of the Recommendation

About

History and structure

Current Use of …

Motivation

2. Possible alternative solutions

3. Consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the recommendation

See the general discussion of advantages and challenges implementing IGSNs in the recommended way.

4. The Recommendation

[Format: Wer! macht was! wo! wann! unter welchen Voraussetzungen!]

5. Naming of communities that have already implemented the recommendation

6. Documentation of the test to validate correct implementation

7. Examples of Instances

8. Further Information

References

[1] Baldewein et al. (2023). FAIR WISH D7 -Standard Operating Procedure for automatic IGSN registration. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10401380

Relevant Community Recommendations

9. History of this document