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Persistent identifier

Persistent identifier is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Persistent identifier rather than just read about it. In short: A persistent identifier (PI or PID) is a long-lasting identifier to a document, file, web page, or other object. The term "persistent identifier" is usually used in the context of digital objects that are accessible over the Internet.

Persistent identifier — main illustration
Persistent identifier — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Persistent identifier belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Persistent identifier to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Persistent identifier from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A persistent identifier (PI or PID) is a long-lasting identifier to a document, file, web page, or other object. The term "persistent identifier" is usually used in the context of digital objects that are accessible over the Internet. Typically, such an identifier is not only persistent but actionable: you can plug it into a web browser and be taken to the identified source. Of course, the issue of persistent identification predates the Internet. Over centuries, writers and scholars developed standards for citation of paper-based documents so that readers could reliably and efficiently find a source that a writer mentioned in a footnote or bibliography. After the Internet started to become an important source of information in the 1990s, the issue of citation standards became important in the online world as well. Studies have shown that within a few years of being cited, a significant percentage of web addresses go "dead", a process often called link rot. Using a persistent identifier can slow or stop this process. An important aspect of persistent identifiers is that "persistence is purely a matter of service". That means that persistent identifiers are only persistent to the degree that someone commits to resolving them for users. No identifier can be inherently persistent, however many persistent identifiers are created within institutionally administered systems with the aim to maximise longevity. However, some regular URLs (i.e. web addresses), maintained by the website owner, are intended to be long-lasting; these are often called permalinks.

Examples People and organisations:

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) Research Organization Registry (ROR) Publications:

Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Uniform Resource Identifiers:

Archival Resource Key (ARK), with 8.2 billion ARKs issued. Handle System Digital Object Identifier (DOI), with 200 million DOIs issued. Magnet link (decentralized, with BitTorrent) Uniform Resource Names (URNs) Extensible Resource Identifiers (XRIs) Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs) Software Hash Identifier (SWHID) Wikidata Identifier (e.g QIDs) Combined persistent identifier and archiving functionality is provided by services such as the Internet Archive perma.cc, archive.today, and WebCite such that anyone can archive a web page to prevent link rot of a URL.

References

See also Authority control

External links Juha Hakala, "Persistent identifiers – an overview." Posted to Technology Watch Report (TWR): Standards in Metadata and Interoperability, 13 Oct 2010. Hans-Werner Hilse and Jochen Kothe, Implementing persistent identifiers: overview of concepts, guidelines and recommendations. London / Amsterdam: Consortium of European Research Libraries and European Commission on Preservation and Access, 2006. ISBN 90-6984-508-3. FAIRDATA F1 - F1: (Meta) data are assigned globally unique and persistent identifiers

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Persistent identifier

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Persistent identifier claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Persistent identifier before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Persistent identifier ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Persistent identifier

In research
Persistent identifier appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Persistent identifier in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Persistent identifier is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Identifiers, Library and information science stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Persistent identifier outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Persistent identifier in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Persistent identifier means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Persistent identifier out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Persistent identifier in simple terms?

A persistent identifier (PI or PID) is a long-lasting identifier to a document, file, web page, or other object. The term "persistent identifier" is usually used in the context of digital objects that are accessible over the Internet.

Why does Persistent identifier matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Persistent identifier?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Persistent identifier.

Tags

  • Identifiers
  • Library and information science stubs

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