DataCite: Information for potential clients
The British Library, as a member of DataCite, is working with data centres to enable them to assign DOIs to datasets, thereby helping to make the data discoverable, accessible and citable. If you are a data centre/data publisher and would like to work with us, please read the following sections. If you are interested in using this service, please get in touch.
If you are already working with us, you might find the section for registered clients useful.
- How can data centres work with the British Library to get DOIs?
- What are DOIs?
- What is the mandatory metadata and why is it necessary?
- I am a researcher, how can I get a DOI for my data?
- Will the British Library store my data?
- Is there a cost for signing up to the service?
- What if I am not based in the UK?
- How can I contact you?
- Information for Registered Data Clients
How can data centres work with the British Library to get DOIs?
There are a number of criteria that data centres need to meet in order to use the DataCite service. Data centres can then trial DOI allocation for a short period and, if the outcome is successful, a contract and payment needs to be agreed before we allocate a dedicated DOI prefix to the centre.
Data centres who wish to work with us must:
- Have the authority to assign DOIs to data
- Provide a publicly open landing page, the mandatory metadata, and a URL that links to the data
- Agree that the mandatory and any additional metadata will be made freely available for discovery purposes
- Have a clear and public indication to make the data available over the long-term
These obligations are required to ensure that DOIs created within DataCite remain persistent and trustworthy identifiers of research data.
What are DOIs?
Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are persistent identifiers used for citing and providing a stable link to resources, such as research data. The DOI name is easily and quickly resolved using the International DOI Foundation resolver. For example:
http://dx.doi.org/10.5524/100001
What is the mandatory metadata and why is it necessary?
The mandatory metadata provides the key elements of a citation. For example:
Li, D et al and the Escherichia coli O104:H4 TY-2482 isolate genome sequencing consortium (2011): Genomic data from Escherichia coli O104:H4 isolate TY-2482. BGI Shenzhen. http://dx.doi.org/10.5524/100001
The DataCite Metadata Schema is available from here.
The metadata can also be used for other purposes, such as search via the DataCite Metadata Store or it can be integrated into other systems or web sites using the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH).
I am a researcher, how can I get a DOI for my data?
The British Library DataCite service works with organisations. Individuals should contact their institution or relevant data centre for advice, in the first instance.
If your institution is not working with the British Library DataCite Service, then please contact us at datasets@bl.uk to discuss your requirements further.
Will the British Library store my data?
No. Data centres are responsible for managing, preserving and providing access to their own data. DataCite stores only the metadata to the registered data set, the URL to the data set landing page, and the registered DOI assigned to the data.
If you are looking for an appropriate place to store your data, please check the list of repositories available here.
Is there a cost for signing up to the service?
Yes, there is a cost for the using the service to assign DOIs, based on an annual subscription fee. Please contact us at datasets@bl.uk to discuss your requirements further.
What if I am not based in the UK?
If you are not based in the UK, please check the DataCite website to discover if there are members based in your country. A list of members can be found here.
If there is currently no DataCite representative in your country, contact the Managing Agent, using the form available on datacite.org, who will advise you further.
How can I contact you?
Please email us in the first instance at: datasets@bl.uk
