PID services (DOI, ePIC)

A persistent identifier (PID) is a unique and permanent digital reference that makes it possible to find and reuse digital material. PIDs are used to reference digital objects such as documents, web pages, and files.

Every dataset that is deposited with and made accessible through SND receives a specific type of persistent identifier called a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). This helps ensure correct citation of the research and to show which version of the data has been used. In order to publish material based on these datasets in a journal, it is often a requirement that the research data are accessible and equipped with a PID.

Read the SND Policy for Persistent Identifiers (PID) on Research Data.

Read more about where data become visible and findable when you publish them at SND.

SND is a member of DataCite

As a member of DataCite, SND can provide a unique DOI prefix to Swedish authorities and organizations in the SND network who have a defined need for their own prefix, such as for the sake of preserving and making research data accessible. This is regulated in the DataCite Business Models Principles (Chapter 4). As the process of assigning a DOI requires a certain amount of metadata for every object, it may, depending on the data type, be more appropriate to use another type of PID. Other common types of PIDs are available through ePIC (handle), KB (urn:nbn), and ARK Alliance (ARK).

Here you can learn more about SND’s membership in DataCite.

On the DataCite website you can find, among other things, statistics and API documentation.

Applying for a DOI prefix from SND

Authorities and other research organizations in the SND network may have specific needs for assigning a DOI, other than those already offered through publication in the SND research data catalogue. If your organization is interested in applying for a DOI prefix, please contact us at pid@snd.se for more information and instructions.

Applying for an ePIC prefix

For research data in the earlier stages of the scientific process, where it is still uncertain which data will be cited in the future, the ePIC persistent identifier can be used, as there is no need for a permanent description to create an ePIC PID. SND is part of the consortium behind the infrastructure for ePIC. If your organization in the SND network is interested in applying for an ePIC prefix, please contact us at pid@snd.se for more information and instructions.