For each 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 resources and the data they contain over time. Detailed instructions on how to use PIDs can be found in our documentation.
