You can now generate a digital object identifier (DOI) for any unpublished research you’ve already added to your profile on ResearchGate.
A DOI is a unique and permanent number used to recognize digital content. DOIs make it easy for other researchers to find all of your work online, such as your conference presentations and posters, raw and negative data, and any other research you would like to share with your peers.
To generate a DOI for research you’ve already added to your profile:
DOIs for datasets and more
A retired virologist, Paul Scotti, from Auckland, New Zealand, was recently issued a DOI for a spreadsheet and technical report that he added to his ResearchGate profile. The documents explain how to calculate the virus load from titration samples.
These non-traditional publications are now some of the most viewed items on his profile, and have found a permanent home for his peers to access them. Read our interview with Paul Scotti below.
ResearchGate: Why did you decide to upload the spreadsheet and technical report to your profile?
Scotti: I made the spreadsheet available to colleagues previously, but when I retired in 2006 I realized that it was very likely to just disappear into some sort of limbo. The spreadsheet and its accompanying explanation and directions were just not things that would be published in any journal.
A few months ago I noticed that there was a category called “datasets”. Out of curiosity, I looked at what it involved and realized that this might be a good place to put the Excel spreadsheet.
ResearchGate: What was the result?
Scotti: As time has gone on I find that well over 100 people have downloaded the spreadsheet and the ‘readme’ associated with it. The amount of downloads seem to be increasing, and those accessing it are coming from a wide spectrum of disciplines and international laboratories. Immodestly speaking, I'm quite flattered!
There must be many situations where people have similar useful items or datasets, whatever, that just simply won't be published. ResearchGate would seem to be a marvelous vehicle for doing just that. Not only is it personally satisfying to know that one has contributed something useful, but it also means that data or useful techniques won't be lost, which I'm sure happens more often than it should. One regret is that I wasn't aware of this facility of ResearchGate earlier.
ResearchGate: What do you think about issuing DOIs for publications like yours?
Scotti: The DOIs seem an excellent idea and the more datasets made available the better things might be!
Click here to generate a DOI for your research now.
Questions, feedback? Please get in touch. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
