Digital Science, a technology company serving stakeholders across the research ecosystem, has made a series of 23 recommendations for Australia’s research future in a report published today into the use of persistent identifiers (PIDs) in research.
The report is the Australian National Persistent Identifier (PID) Benchmarking Toolkit , available now on Figshare.
Commissioned by the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), Digital Science was tasked with developing a comprehensive PID benchmarking framework, and to conduct a benchmarking process that could be used to monitor the effectiveness of Australia’s National PID Strategy over time. The report, developed collaboratively with the ARDC, also benefited from consultation and engagement with the Australian research community.
The lead author of the report, Digital Science’s VP of Research Futures, Simon Porter , will discuss the findings at two upcoming events in Brisbane, Australia: International Data Week (13-16 October) and the eResearch Australasia Conference (20-24 October).
“This is the first time Australia’s National PID Strategy has been benchmarked, and it represents a unique opportunity for the Australian research system to benefit from that process,” Simon Porter said.
“What we’ve seen from the benchmarking is that Australia’s adoption of ORCID for research publications across the research sector has been extremely successful – and Australia is now third in the world for including DOI (Digital Object Identifier) links with dissertations published online.
“Workflows between publishers, institutional research information systems, and ORCID are also sufficiently strong, and we can see that Australia is well placed for a more comprehensive use of the ORCID infrastructure.
“However, our comprehensive review gave Australian research a mixed score card and recommended several changes and interventions to help strengthen the national strategy,” Mr Porter said.
“One of the key issues we’ve seen is that although Australian researchers are more engaged than the global average in the practice of data citation, they trail significantly behind their European peers.
“And while ORCID and ROR adoption has been strong for publications, the use of persistent identifiers with data sets and non-traditional research outputs (NTROs) remains the exception rather than the norm. As significant publishers of NTRO items in their own right, institutions should hold themselves to the same standards that they expect from publishers – all creators should ideally be described with an ORCID, and affiliation id (ROR).”
Natasha Simons , Director of National Coordination at the ARDC, congratulated Digital Science on the release of the National PID Benchmarking Toolkit. “The Australian Persistent Identifier Strategy is a critical national initiative to benefit the Australian people by strengthening our digital information ecosystem, the quality of our research and our capacity for effective research engagement, innovation and impact,” she said. “So it is essential to develop robust benchmarks that can track our progress and measure outcomes. The Toolkit provides us with exactly what’s needed.”
Some of the 23 recommendations made in the report include:
“We welcome the opportunity to have led this benchmarking process, and we hope our recommendations will lead to some meaningful improvements within Australian research,” Mr Porter said.
“Importantly, we’ve also demonstrated that it is possible to produce a benchmarking toolkit for PIDs, and our work may have implications for other nations and their roadmaps towards a persistent identifier future.”
Persistent identifiers (PIDs) are unique numbered references to individual researchers and their work, which are connected to digital outputs and resources. They help connect researchers, projects, outputs, and institutions, and have become critical for:
Widely used PIDs include ORCID iDs, DOIs, RORs, and emerging identifiers include DOIs for grants, and identifiers for projects (RAiDs).
Note: In the report, Simon Porter declares that he is also a member of the ORCID Board.
Discover more at International Data Week (13-16 October) and the eResearch Australasia Conference (20-24 October).
About Digital Science
Digital Science is an AI-focused technology company providing innovative solutions to complex challenges faced by researchers, universities, funders, industry and publishers. We work in partnership to advance global research for the benefit of society. Through our brands – Altmetric, Dimensions, Figshare, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, metaphacts, OntoChem, Overleaf, ReadCube, Symplectic, and Writefull – we believe when we solve problems together, we drive progress for all. Visit digital-science.com and follow Digital Science on Bluesky , on X or on LinkedIn .
Media contact
David Ellis , Press, PR & Social Manager, Digital Science: Mobile +61 447 783 023, d.ellis@digital-science.com
Data/statistical analysis
Not applicable
Australian National Persistent Identifier (PID) Benchmarking Toolkit
9-Oct-2025
Lead author Simon Porter (VP of Research Futures, Digital Science) declares in the report that he is also a member of the ORCID Board.