Making data visible and citable
ZBW supports business researchers with DOI allocation
The ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics offers comprehensive advice and support for researchers who want to implement open science practices in their work. One focus is on the transparent use and publication of research data, which makes a significant contribution to the reproducibility and availability of scientific findings.
The ZBW not only provides valuable information and tools, but also offers concrete technical support, in particular through the allocation of Digital Object Identifiers (DOI). In cooperation with DataCite, the international initiative for facilitating access to digital research data, GESIS – Leibniz Institute for Economic Sciences and ZBW offer the DOI registration service da|ra for social and economic science data.
da|ra: DOI allocation to ensure the citability of research data
Research data is an essential resource for science. Since 2011, the ZBW and GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences have been operating the non-commercial registration agency da|ra to ensure that they can be found and reliably cited in the long term.
Via da|ra, social science and economic research data is given a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), which enables the permanent and unique identification of data. This not only makes it easier to find data in the long term, but also ensures that it can be cited correctly, which significantly improves the transparency and reliability of research.
A central problem in science is the reliable identification and citation of research data, especially if it is used multiple times or stored in different locations. Traditional bibliographic methods reach their limits here. The DOI offers a solution to this problem, as it is a persistent identifier that refers directly to the storage location of the data and at the same time ensures correct attribution via metadata (such as the publication date). However, the DOI name is not only an identifier, but also provides additional relevant information about a dataset via the metadata, making it an essential tool for the management and exchange of research data.
Advantages of DOI allocation for research data
The allocation of DOIs offers researchers numerous advantages:
- Permanent retrievability and citation: Research data can be reliably identified and cited, regardless of where it is stored. This facilitates subsequent use and contributes to the visibility of your own data.
- Transparency and reproducibility: Open and permanently accessible data is the key to the reproducibility of scientific findings. DOIs ensure that the data is correctly attributed to the first author and can be verified by other researchers.
- Facilitated sharing and collaboration: DOI-registered data can be easily shared with others, fostering collaboration in the scientific community and avoiding redundant research efforts.
The DOI system: Technical basis for persistent identifiers
The DOI system is a process for the permanent identification of content in digital networks that can uniquely identify physical, digital or other objects. Technologically, it is based on the handle technology developed by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI) and managed by the DONA Foundation. Using a metadata model, the most important information associated with an object is linked to the DOI and stored in the handle system. The DOI system is implemented by an international group of registration agencies, such as DataCite, which work together under the umbrella of the International DOI Foundation (IDF).
Tools and services from da|ra
In order to make DOI allocation as efficient and user-friendly as possible, da|ra offers access to DOI-Fabrica from DataCite via the da|ra consortium. Various web services and tools are available there to make the work of researchers easier.
- The da|ra web service (API) enables automated use of the DOI registration service without requiring a login via the user account on the website. Via the API, users can easily integrate DOI names into their systems and carry out the registration automatically.
- XML upload tool: For the upload of metadata, da|ra offers a special tool for uploading XML files. This tool enables researchers to efficiently integrate their research data into the da|ra system. All necessary documentation aids and the XML upload tool are available in the download area of da|ra.
- The DOI resolver from da|ra makes it quick and easy to find out more about an object identified by a DOI name. Anyone who finds a DOI in a publication, an online text or a printed document can enter it in the search field of the DOI resolver to be forwarded directly to the digital object (e.g. data, books, articles) or to a detailed description. The resolver works for DOI names of all registration agencies of the International DOI Foundation (IDF).
ZBW provides support for research data management
The ZBW offers economic researchers not only theoretical information on open science, but also practical support in applying these principles. Students and researchers in economics can find a comprehensive introduction to the topic of research data management in the Open Economics Guide in the “Open Data” section.
The text was written on 22 October 2024.
This text was translated on 20 January 2025 using DeeplPro.