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Table of Contents
Recommendation M2.2
Recommendation to Helmholtz data stewards, repository maintainers and developers to implement ROR as a reference to organizations in technical infrastructures
Description
[Status: Under development, Date: 2025/05/26 09:23, Version: 001]
Motivation for this Recommendation:
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.
Recommendation
It is recommended that data infrastructures (data repositories, data bases) should:
- record a ROR with any organization registered in conjunction with the metadata of datasets, publications, instruments and alike where possible and make this data part of the datasets available for harvesting.
- treat ROR metadata as the primary source of truth and update their own metadata accordingly.
- Optionally inform the respective organizations if they think the metadata registered with the ROR is not accurate.
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
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 data infrastructures (data repositories, data bases) should:
- record a ROR with any organization registered in conjunction with the metadata of datasets, publications, instruments and alike where possible.
- treat ROR metadata as the primary source of truth and update their own metadata accordingly.
- Optionally inform the respective organizations if they think the metadata registered with the ROR is not accurate.