The unique and persistent identifier, or PID (Persistant Identifier), enables us to reference, cite and provide a stable link to an online file4. A unique, perennial hypertext link is created, enabling the resource to be retrieved at any time, even if the URL address of the page changes.
When depositing your data in a data repository, you can choose between different access conditions8 :
| Closed data | A general description of the data is published, but access to the data itself is not possible. E.g., the dataset contains non-anonymized or pseudonymized sensitive data |
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| Data on request | A record of the data is published, and information is provided on how to demand access to the data. The demand is generally sent out to the researchers and approved by them. E.g., the dataset contains data with a high re-identification risk, it can only be shared under certain conditions |
| Data under embargo | A record of the data is published, but the data can't be accessed until the end of a specified time period. After that period, the data becomes openly accessible E.g., the researcher wants to file a patent before publishing the data. However, the associated metadata must be accessible to indicate the existence of the data while preserving its protection. Some data repositories do not include the "embargo" option. |
| Open data | The data is freely available and can be accessed by anyone |
These options only concern data, and not metadata: in all cases, metadata remains publicly accesible.
