For each project and resource, Coscine assigns a Persistent Identifier (PID). PIDs play a significant role in research data management. A PID is a persistent digital identifier consisting of digits and/or alphanumeric characters associated with a dataset or other digital object and pointing directly to it. Unlike other serial identifiers such as URL addresses, a persistent identifier refers to the object itself and not to its location on the Internet. If the location of a digital object associated with a persistent identifier changes, the identifier remains the same. In this way, PIDs can be used to make research data permanently discoverable, retrievable, and citable. Coscine uses handle-based PIDs in the form of ePICs (European Persistent Identifier Consortium) to uniquely reference projects and resources. Detailed instructions on how to use PIDs can be found in our documentation.
