DOI Technical Changes: Transition to DataCite DOI services
As announced in the Release 37 communications on Tuesday, 12 May 2020, the ARDC is in the process of creating accounts and documentation to support the technical transition of ARDC DOI Service users to DataCite DOI services (DataCite Fabrica and APIs). This document provides you with more detailed information on what the changes are, how they will impact you and when we expect the transition activities will be completed.
Why is the ARDC DOI service changing?
The ARDC offers minting of DOIs free of charge to the sector via our DOI service . This service is provided in partnership with DataCite, the global DOI consortium providing DOIs for research data and other research objects. Until now ARDC DOI clients have logged into local ARDC systems to request DOIs. In the background ARDC has registered these with the global DataCite systems.
Recently DataCite launched a new system called Fabrica. The Fabrica service now offers the same functionality as the ARDC DOI client service built ten years prior to Fabrica. With Fabrica now in place, our DOI clients will be moving to directly minting DOIs through the DataCite Fabrica service.
What are the changes?
Online manual minting: Manual minting interface is changing from ARDC “My DOIs” to DataCite Fabrica. New DataCite login details will be issued (one login per organisation).
Minting via the Application Programming Interface (API): The new DataCite API is different to the ARDC DOI API (service URLs, messages, responses and error codes). New DataCite authentication credentials will be issued (same as for the online manual system).
The ARDC’s quarterly “broken link checks” will cease. DataCite has a link checker service that periodically checks a random sampling of DOIs and the results of the link checker are displayed in DOI Fabrica at the bottom of each DOI record that has been checked.
There are no changes to:
Membership fee : ARDC has funded DataCite membership and DOI minting for Australian research organisations as part of the national information infrastructure and this does not change with the move to the new DataCite systems.
Guidance and support : ARDC will continue to provide guidance and best practice to the sector in DOI minting. DOI users still contact services@ardc.edu.au for assistance.
DOI support in Research Data Australia : DOIs, when provided, will continue to be displayed in our Research Data Australia service connected to other research entities.
ARDC-DataCite collaboration : ARDC will continue to serve on the DataCite Board of Directors and the DataCite Community Engagements Steering Group. We will continue to work closely with DataCite on initiatives that maximise the use of DOIs to identify, cite and track research data, software etc..
Your DOI production prefix: it remains exactly the same
How will the change impact the users?
If you use the ARDC online form system (“My DOIs”):
Each organisation will have an organisational account to login to Fabrica. Individual access will no longer be available, however DataCite plans to move towards individual authentication in Fabrica. The organisation is expected to have a procedure in place to manage access to the DOI service through shared login credentials.
Each user will need to become familiar and accustomed to the new Fabrica Interface. The following ARDC and DataCite guides are available:
Access to the ARDC “My DOIs” application will cease once users transition to DataCite Fabrica
The test DOI prefix will change
API users:
Users of the ARDC DOI API or ARDC DataCite API will need to update their software.
Users will need to determine which of the DataCite APIs best suit their requirements and technical capabilities. Refer to Guidance for clients transitioning from ARDC APIs to DataCite APIs for information instructions on how to migrate to the new APIs.
Users will need to become familiar and accustomed to the new DataCite API request messages, responses and error codes. These are now different from the ARDC DOI API messages, responses and error codes.
The test DOI prefix will change.
When should DOI clients transition?
DOI transition will commence on 19 May 2020 . Users will plan and schedule their transitions and become familiar with the new systems.
ARDC online form (My DOIs) for manual minting will be decommissioned by 30 Sep 2020
ARDC API is proposed to be decommissioned by 31 Dec 2020. Since users of the API will need to do some systems development to maintain DOI minting functionality, ARDC welcomes feedback on the feasible timelines.
Timeline of activities:
Where can we get more information?
We have developed a DOI Transition FAQs to assist you with possible questions you may have regarding the transition.
Technical guidance documents are available:
Guidance for clients transitioning from ARDC APIs to DataCite APIs
Guidance for clients transitioning from My DOIs to DataCite Fabrica
DOI Service Registration and Transition Workflow is also available to guide you in accessing the document(s) relevant to your scenario/requirements.
The DOI Service page on documentation.ardc.edu.au will have more up-to-date DOI documentation on 19May2020.
DOI Technical Changes webinar
We are encouraging our DOI users to attend the DOI Technical changes webinar to learn more about the changes to the DOI Service.
When: 3 June 2020 at 4pm AEST (8am CET)
Agenda :
Technical changes: what are they and what ARDC DOI service users need to do
Introduction to DataCite Support Team
DataCite Fabrica interface walkthrough
Questions and answers
For further assistance, questions and comments, you may send an email to services@ardc.edu.au.