Creating long-lasting, reliable references for your data

This blog about the importance of creating reliable references for your data and digital materials, making sure they are embedded into your draft paper or thesis in a way that reduces the risk of broken links over time.    

By Sally Tape (Open Research Support Specialist, Digital Stewardship team, Scholarly Services)

Have you heard about link rot? It happens when hyperlinks and URLs break or disappear, often due to content being deleted, moved, or renamed. This phenomenon, often referred to as ‘digital decay,’ is explored in depth in the Pew Research Centre’s 2024 study, “When Online Content Disappears” which found 38% of web links that existed in 2013 are no longer accessible a decade later.  

Link rot can impact your research outputs. Whether it’s part of a thesis or a paper submitted for publication, the data that underpins your research methodology is important for validation and reproducibility and should always be accessible and citable. 

When it comes to your data and other digital research materials, the citation or reference should include a persistent identifier (PID) such as a digital object identifier (DOI). Well-prepared references can help you avoid issues with broken hyperlinks

What is a DOI and why is it important for data and research materials?  

A DOI is a unique alphanumeric identifier that can be associated with a digital object such as a report, a dataset, an image, or code. DOIs are machine readable, making them easily discoverable through online platforms such as search engines. They also function as clickable, actionable hyperlinks. Beyond improving discoverability, DOIs help to establish a direct, persistent link between a published research output and its creator.  

What makes a DOI truly important is that it belongs to a group of identifiers that are persistent and designed to enable long term access and linking to the source (your research). Through stewardship, persistent identifiers (PIDs) help your research to remain accessible well into the future, even if they are moved or renamed. 

How can I generate a DOI for my research materials? 

You can create a DOI for your research materials using the University’s data repository Melbourne Figshare, which supports the publication of non-traditional and supplemental research outputs. The Melbourne Figshare user guides step you through the process of creating your first item in this repository. Here is an important tip to ensure your references remain accessible well into the future: when drafting your item in Melbourne Figshare, always reserve a DOI. 

Always reserve a DOI 

Here’s why.  

A standard citation typically includes the author’s name, year of publication, title, publisher, output type, and identifier (such as a DOI).  

In the University’s data repository Melbourne Figshare, a DOI is assigned to an item once a record has been published and is active.   Until then, the repository will use the records ‘draft’ URL as a placeholder in the citation format.

Fig 1. Example, Melbourne Figshare citation format with placeholder ‘draft’ URL for an unpublished item 

By reserving a DOI when creating your record, the repository will assign the permanent DOI to the citation, replacing the temporary ‘draft’ URL when the record has been published. 

Fig 2. Example, Melbourne Figshare citation format with a DOI 

This means your citations are properly formatted from the start, there is no need to update draft documents or risk using incorrect citation formats. It also means that your Figshare item can be cited in your thesis or paper right away. Once you publish your item in Melbourne Figshare, your DOI will become active, making your work discoverable and trackable well into the future.

Fig 3. Workflow: Reserve a DOI with Melbourne Figshare