Table of Contents
Recommendation M2.1
Recommendation to the center managements to implement measures to record, publish and maintain their ROR record
Description
[Status: Under development, Date: 2023/12/20 16:29, Version: 001]
Motivation for this Recommendation:
The Helmholtz Association is determined to make their data available according to the FAIR principles, thus making it findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. In order to achieve interoperability of datasets among various data infrastructures (DIS) within the Helmholtz Association, a common and agreed procedure to refer to the respective Helmholtz Centres (organisations) within and across the DIS is needed.
In order to be able to uniquely and sustainably identify the responsibilities and the context of cooperation within data infrastructures and repositories in the Helmholtz Association, the referencing of the respective centre should in principle be carried out with a persistent identifier (PID).
Recommendation
It is recommended, that center management should
1. name a person or unit who is responsible to maintain the centres ROR ID. This could e.g. be someone in the library, or the RDM team, or the outreach department.
2. check the centre's ror entry at https://ror.org/, update the entry or entries for their organization in the ROR directory or create a new one if it is not yet registered.
3. publish the ROR they wish to be identified as at an appropriate place(s), in the imprint of their website and in appropriate other official appearances.
Binding Convention:
| mandatory | conditional | optional | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helmholtz FAIR Principle | if ROR is available |
Precondition for Implementation:
Related Recommendations
Parent:
Dependent:
Other: none
Contributors
Emanuel Söding (HMC@GEOMAR), Andrea Pörsch (HMC@GFZ)
Content
1. Explanation of the Background and Benefits of the Recommendation
About
History and structure
Current Use of …
Motivation
Using ROR identifiers in data infrastructures ensures that references to research organizations are unambiguous, persistent, and globally interoperable. By recording RORs alongside organizational metadata for datasets, publications, instruments, and related entities, infrastructures enhance metadata quality, enable reliable cross-linking across systems, and support automated discovery and aggregation. Treating ROR metadata as the authoritative source helps maintain consistency and reduces manual errors or duplication in institutional references. Additionally, engaging with the ROR ecosystem—by notifying it of suspected inaccuracies—contributes to improving the global research information landscape. Adopting ROR strengthens the visibility and traceability of research outputs, aligns infrastructures with FAIR and open science principles, and facilitates seamless integration with external services such as ORCID, DataCite, and Crossref.
2. Possible alternative solutions
3. Consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the recommendation
(quality of content, limitations, interoperability, sustainability: expected future dissemination / technical availability / funding)
4. The Recommendation
It is recommended, that center management should
1. name a person or unit who is responsible to maintain the centres ROR ID. This could e.g. be someone in the library, or the RDM team, or the outreach department.
2. check the centre's ror entry at https://ror.org/, update the entry or entries for their organization in the ROR directory or create a new one if it is not yet registered.
3. publish the ROR they wish to be identified as at an appropriate place(s), e.g. on the imprint of their webpage or other official appearances.