Published 21 September 2020

Persistent identifier (PID)1

A persistent identifier is a long-lasting reference to a digital resource. Typically it has two components: a unique identifier; and a service that locates the resource over time even when it’s location changes. The first helps to ensure the provenance of a digital resource ( that it is what it purports to be), whilst the second will ensure that the identifier resolves to the correct current location.

Examples of PIDs include:

  • Digital Object Identifier (DOI): DOIs are digital identifiers for objects (whether digital, physical or abstract). As well as the object identifier, DOI has a system infrastructure to ensure a URL resolves to the correct location for that object. More information can be found on the DOI website.

  • ORCID: This identifier is key for researchers disambiguating themselves from other researchers with similar names, associating them with the proper institution as well as receiving the credit for their research outputs. More information can be found on the ORCID website.

  • International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI): This identifier provides information about the institution where a researcher worked while the research was undertaken. More information can be found on the ISNI website.

The following toolkit article(s) mention(s) this glossary term:

Self-publishing your open access book

The difference between an open access book and an open access journal

Source acknowledgements:
  1. This article makes extensive use of the following sources:
References:
  • Digital Preservation Handbook, 2nd Edition, https://www.dpconline.org/handbook. Digital Preservation Coalition.
  • Emery, J., Stone, G., & McCracken, P. (2020). Techniques for Electronic Resource Management: Terms and the Transition to Open. Chicago: American Library Association. Retrieved from doi.org/10.15760/lib-01
Further reading:
Last edited on 21 September 2020, at 09:40 (+0000)