Recommendation 4.1
Status: Draft 22.5.2025
Registering IGSNs benefits organizations by ensuring that physical samples are uniquely identifiable, traceable, and citable, which improves data quality, provenance, and reproducibility. It supports FAIR data practices by linking samples to related datasets, publications, and instruments, enhancing visibility and reuse. Organizations also gain better oversight of sample use and impact, which supports collaboration, reporting, and compliance—ultimately strengthening their role as trusted stewards of research data.
It is recommended, that organizations [Note: in the similar ORCID the recomenndation goes to the center management. This should be addressed in a uniform manner] should:
1. provide a way to allow personnel to register IGSNs by either signing up with DataCite or partner with an organization or service, which allows registration of IGSNs.
2. assign a person or unit within their organization, who is responsible to maintain and curate the centres IGSNs. These could e.g. be members of a local data management team or sample curators.
| mandatory | conditional | optional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helmholtz FAIR Principle |
Personnel trained on the use and registration of IGSNs must exist in the organization.
Dependent: none
Other: none
Emanuel Soeding (lead)
* Please keep the lead author informed about any possible changes in this wiki.
About
History and structure
Current Use of …
Motivation
Registering IGSNs benefits organizations by ensuring that physical samples are uniquely identifiable, traceable, and citable, which improves data quality, provenance, and reproducibility. It supports FAIR data practices by linking samples to related datasets, publications, and instruments, enhancing visibility and reuse. Organizations also gain better oversight of sample use and impact, which supports collaboration, reporting, and compliance—ultimately strengthening their role as trusted stewards of research data.
Some organizations may recommend other solutions, e.g. those discussed in the recommendation to use IGSN alternative solutions chapter.
It is recommended, that organizations should:
1. provide a way to allow personnel to register IGSNs by either signing up with DataCite or partner with an organization or service, which allows registration of IGSNs.
2. assign a person or unit within their organization, who is responsible to maintain and curate the centres IGSNs. These could e.g. be members of a local data management team or sample curators.