Abstract
Considerable attention has been devoted to the use of persistent identifiers for assets of interest to scientific and other communities alike over the last two decades. Among persistent identifiers, Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) stand out quite prominently, with approximately 133 million DOIs assigned to various objects as of February 2017. While the assignment of DOIs to objects such as scientific publications has been in place for many years, their assignment to Earth science data sets is more recent. Applying persistent identifiers to data sets enables improved tracking of their use and reuse, facilitates the crediting of data producers, and aids reproducibility through associating research with the exact data set(s) used. Maintaining provenance – i.e., tracing back lineage of significant scientific conclusions to the entities (data sets, algorithms, instruments, satellites, etc.) that lead to the conclusions, would be prohibitive without persistent identifiers. This paper provides a brief background on the use of persistent identifiers in general within the US, and DOIs more specifically. We examine their recent use for Earth science data sets, and outline successes and some remaining challenges. Among the challenges, for example, is the ability to conveniently and consistently obtain data citation statistics using the DOIs assigned by organizations that manage data sets.
Highlights
Data curation and citation practices in the Earth sciences have emphasized assignment and citation of identifiers in order to promote asset discoverability and interoperability (Klump, Huber & Diepenbroek 2016)
Given the recent emphasis on Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for citing data sets, this paper explores the adoption of DOIs for Earth science data sets, outlines successes, and identifies some remaining challenges
To what extent have DOIs accomplished their aims? Have game changers occurred in the field of data citation which hinder DOI use? This paper explores these questions with particular focus on Earth science data sets held by organizations in the US
Summary
Data curation and citation practices in the Earth sciences have emphasized assignment and citation of identifiers in order to promote asset discoverability and interoperability (Klump, Huber & Diepenbroek 2016). Having over 180 participating member organizations including such federal agencies, universities and commercial entities, the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) has developed data citation guidelines (ESIP Data Stewardship Committee 2012) which have been adopted by various parties. It is important to emphasize that while the number of DOIs assigned is in the millions, the significantly lower numbers shown below for Earth science data sets is solely due to their relatively recent use for identifying and citing them.
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