Non-textual materials
Scientific publication, a major factor in the acquisition of knowledge, is only the final step in a process potentially based on a wide variety of scientific information. The issuing of DOI names as unambiguous references will make it possible to integrate such non-textual materials in the catalogues of the Goportis partners as well.
We are now seeing, and will continue to see in the future, new pathways for scientific communication going beyond the main sources of information in use at present – articles and books. An experimental study series can supply, for instance, primary research data, visualizations, AV media, models, animations and simulations. The increased volume of non-textual materials also results in demands that will influence future information services in a lasting manner. Adequate electronic publication of visual media is a necessity so that customers and users – researchers, teachers and students – can find and use the information they convey. The importance of unambiguous referencing of primary research data is growing.
Scientific publication, a major factor in the acquisition of knowledge, is only the final step in a process potentially based on a wide variety of scientific information. Research data, for example, are analyzed, interpreted and synthesized, eventually resulting in a scientific publication. The elements of such a publication include graphics, tables and other images with a high intrinsic information value.
Whereas the scientific publications themselves are readily accessible, not least due to library services, the non-textual materials are usually lost.
Since 1999, the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) has been in use to establish and clarify links between publications. Since 2005, the Technical Information Library (TIB) has functioned as a DOI registration agency to make research data accessible and citable in this way. The possibility of recognized citation of research data not only raises the visibility level of the data, it also gives scientists a strong motivation to publish their data in order to gain scientific recognition in the form of citations.
Examples
Research data record in GetInfo
What is Goportis’ contribution?
The assignment of DOI names to reference various types of non-textual materials is now offered as a service by all Goportis partners using the TIB infrastructure. Over 700,000 non-textual objects had been registered by the end of 2009.
Since the summer of 2009, DOI registration of research data has been realized under the designation DataCite in cooperation with the British Library, the California Digital Library (CDL), the Library of the TU of Delft, the National Technical Information Center Denmark, L’Institut de l’Information Scientifique et Technique (INIST) in France, the ETH Bibliothek, Zurich, the Purdue university (USA) the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) and the Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI). The proposed objective of this cooperation is to make methods available to researchers worldwide that enable them to find, identify and cite research data, as well as other non-textual materials, reliably and unambiguously. Additional countries and organizations are welcome to join the cooperation whenever they choose.
For detailed information go to:
http://www.tib-hannover.de/en/the-tib/doi-registration-agency/
http://www.datacite.org
Publications on this subject:
An approach for a joint global registration agency for research data
J. Brase, A. Farquhar, A. Gastl, H. Gruttemeier, M. Heijne, A. Heller et al
Information Services & Use,accepted for publication 29 (2009) 13–27
DOI 10.3233/ISU-2009-0595
ISSN 0167-5265
Der Digital Object Identifier (DOI) und die Verwendung zum Primärdaten-Management
J. Brase
Nestor-Handbuch: Eine kleine Enzyklopädie der digitalen Langzeitarchivierung
ISBN 978-3-940317-48-3
Zitierfähige Datensätze: Primärdaten-Management durch DOI
J. Brase & J. Klump
Wissenschaftskommunikation der Zukunft
in Schriften des FZ Jülich - Reihe Bibliothek, Band 18
ISBN 978-3-89336-459-6
