Background
\nThis dataset presents the initial version of a Metadata Monitoring Framework developed by the PID4NFDI Coordination Hub to assess and improve the quality, completeness, and interoperability of DataCite DOI metadata within the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) in Germany. The framework emerged directly from community work conducted in 2025, including two dedicated focus groups on Persistent Identifier (PID) integration in Data Management Plans (DMPs) and Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs), and a joint in-person workshop held in Berlin in September 2025.
\nMotivation
\nA key finding of the PID4NFDI focus group and workshop programme was that metadata quality at the point of DOI registration is highly variable across NFDI platforms and repositories. Participants identified widespread gaps in the use of recommended and optional DataCite schema fields , including subject classification, funding references, ORCID and ROR identifiers, licensing information, and relatedIdentifier entries that would support provenance and data lineage. These gaps reduce the discoverability, reusability, and machine-actionability of research outputs, and impede interoperability with aggregators such as OpenAIRE and EOSC.
\nRecognising that sustainable improvement requires systematic measurement rather than ad hoc curation, the PID4NFDI team developed this framework to provide NFDI platforms, repository managers, and data stewards with a structured set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), measurable targets, and DataCite API query patterns to audit and monitor DOI metadata quality over time.
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Contents
\nThe framework is organised as a four-sheet workbook:
\nAbout: Framework metadata, description, navigation guide, record metadata (author, ORCID, license, DOI), and changelog. This sheet orients new readers and provides all bibliographic information needed to cite or reuse the framework.
\nMonitoring Goals & KPIs: Defines five goal areas for monitoring (Discoverability, PID Maturity, Compliance, PID Linking, and Reusability) with 20 KPIs, each carrying a short ID (e.g. D-1, L-2), a draft threshold target, the basis for that target, priority level, assessment frequency, and responsible role. Targets are indicative and intended as a starting point for community discussion; they should be calibrated through consultation between the PID4NFDI Coordination Hub and NFDI platform operators.
\nAPI Query Catalogue: A curated catalogue of 34+ DataCite REST API queries grouped into seven use-case categories (Metadata Completeness, Present Information, Person/Organisation, Topic, Resource Type, Analysis/Reporting, and Newer Parameters). Each query carries a short ID that cross-references the KPIs sheet, and is annotated with its intended target group, rationale, verification status, and caveats. All queries were verified against the live DataCite REST API in April 2026; two queries from the original draft were corrected during verification.
\nBaseline Log: An operational sheet for recording actual measured values against KPIs over time. One row per measurement, with controlled drop-down lists for KPI ID, method, and query ID. Kept separate from the framework definition so the published version remains clean while the log accumulates data across monitoring cycles.
\nContext and Related Work
\nThis framework is published as part of the broader PID4NFDI programme, which aims to establish consistent, interoperable PID practices across all 26 NFDI consortia. It complements the Landscape Analysis of PID Practices in NFDI (El-Gebali & Böhm, 2025; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15689799) and forms a technical foundation for two incubator projects launching in 2026 in collaboration with TS4NFDI (Terminology Services for NFDI), which will operationalize the DataCite metadata schema and integrate controlled vocabulary services into ELN and DMP tools.
\nThe framework is version 1.0 and is intended to evolve iteratively as community input is gathered, targets are validated against real data, and the Baseline Log sheet is populated through pilot monitoring activities.
\nIntended Audience
\nRepository managers and platform operators within NFDI and DataCite member organizations; data stewards seeking structured guidance on metadata quality monitoring; infrastructure teams implementing PID workflows in ELNs and DMPs; and the broader research data management and FAIR community.
", "languages": [ { "id": "eng", "title": { "en": "English" } } ], "publication_date": "2026-04-20", "publisher": "Zenodo", "related_identifiers": [ { "identifier": "10.5281/zenodo.15689799", "relation_type": { "id": "ispartof", "title": { "de": "Ist Teil von", "en": "Is part of" } }, "resource_type": { "id": "publication", "title": { "de": "Publikation", "en": "Publication" } }, "scheme": "doi" }, { "identifier": "10.14454/3w3z-sa82", "relation_type": { "id": "isderivedfrom", "title": { "de": "Wird abgeleitet von", "en": "Is derived from" } }, "resource_type": { "id": "publication-standard", "title": { "de": "Standard", "en": "Standard" } }, "scheme": "doi" } ], "resource_type": { "id": "dataset", "title": { "de": "Datensatz", "en": "Dataset" } }, "rights": [ { "description": { "en": "The Creative Commons Attribution license allows re-distribution and re-use of a licensed work on the condition that the creator is appropriately credited." }, "icon": "cc-by-icon", "id": "cc-by-4.0", "props": { "scheme": "spdx", "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode" }, "title": { "en": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International" } } ], "subjects": [ { "subject": "persistent identifiers" }, { "subject": "PID" }, { "subject": "Metadata quality" }, { "subject": "FAIR" }, { "subject": "Metadata completeness" }, { "subject": "Open science" }, { "subject": "API" } ], "title": "A Metadata Monitoring Framework for DataCite DOI Quality in NFDI Research Infrastructures", "version": "1" }, "parent": { "access": { "owned_by": { "user": "84218" }, "settings": { "accept_conditions_text": null, "allow_guest_requests": false, "allow_user_requests": false, "secret_link_expiration": 0 } }, "communities": { "default": "e7b3aa3f-e3fa-4c29-bb52-302abe99d19e", "entries": [ { "access": { "member_policy": "open", "members_visibility": "public", "record_submission_policy": "open", "review_policy": "closed", "visibility": "public" }, "children": { "allow": false }, "created": "2024-11-06T16:33:39.973061+00:00", "custom_fields": {}, "deletion_status": { "is_deleted": false, "status": "P" }, "id": "e7b3aa3f-e3fa-4c29-bb52-302abe99d19e", "links": {}, "metadata": { "curation_policy": "This Zenodo community collects ressources by and about PID4NFDI. This includes outputs from the PID4NFDI project itself as well as other publications which substantially address PID4NFDI. A collection of publications exclusively by PID4NFDI can be found on its website.
", "description": "PID4NFDI is a basic service for persistent identifiers in development for the German National Research Data Infrastructure (Nationale Forschungsdaten\u00adinfrastruktur \u2013 NFDI). PID4NFDI is part of and funded through Base4NFDI.", "funding": [ { "award": { "identifiers": [ { "identifier": "https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/521466146", "scheme": "url" } ], "number": "521466146", "title": { "en": "Base4NFDI \u2013 Basic Services for NFDI" } }, "funder": { "id": "018mejw64" } } ], "page": "PID4NFDI is a basic service for persistent identifiers in development for the German National Research Data Infrastructure (Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur – NFDI). PID4NFDI is part of and funded through Base4NFDI.
\nPersistent identifiers (PIDs) are central to FAIR research data management. However, different disciplines and different resources result in diverse requirements and the different NFDI consortia have different levels of maturity in PID implementation. PID4NFDI will design a work programme to build an NFDI foundation service on established PID infrastructures.
\nAs there already is a mature and globally used PID provider landscape and PID needs are highly individual in the consortia, we define our intended service as a set of several components (technical, organisational, standards, training, outreach) that are in their interaction tailored to the needs of NFDI stakeholders.
", "title": "PID4NFDI \u2013 Persistent Identifier Services for NFDI", "type": { "id": "project" }, "website": "https://pid.services.base4nfdi.de" }, "revision_id": 13, "slug": "pid4nfdi", "updated": "2025-02-24T06:33:00.844701+00:00" } ], "ids": [ "e7b3aa3f-e3fa-4c29-bb52-302abe99d19e" ] }, "id": "19659989", "pids": { "doi": { "client": "datacite", "identifier": "10.5281/zenodo.19659989", "provider": "datacite" } } }, "pids": { "doi": { "client": "datacite", "identifier": "10.5281/zenodo.19659990", "provider": "datacite" }, "oai": { "identifier": "oai:zenodo.org:19659990", "provider": "oai" } }, "revision_id": 4, "stats": { "all_versions": { "data_volume": 544375.0, "downloads": 74, "unique_downloads": 66, "unique_views": 40, "views": 47 }, "this_version": { "data_volume": 544375.0, "downloads": 74, "unique_downloads": 66, "unique_views": 40, "views": 47 } }, "status": "published", "swh": {}, "updated": "2026-04-20T10:50:52.034735+00:00", "versions": { "index": 1, "is_latest": true } }