Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Do software releases need a DOI? [139]

By Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Yes. Approved USGS software releases must be assigned a DOI with the 10.5066 prefix using the USGS Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Creation Tool. Software release products should be assigned a meaningful resource type in the DOI metadata such as software, model, workflow, or another appropriate term. The DOI metadata must appropriately describe the software product. [Read more]

Yes. Approved USGS software releases must be assigned a DOI with the 10.5066 prefix once approved for release. Software release products should be assigned a meaningful resource type in the DOI metadata such as software, model, workflow, or another appropriate term. DOIs can be obtained through the USGS Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Creation Tool. USGS scientists and software developers may employ conventions for indicating discrete versions of software that should be individually cited by assigning separate DOIs for each major version, indicating the version number in the title, and ensuring that the DOI points to an appropriate repository on a “.gov” server (such as USGS OpenSource GitLab) or an access point for the specific version being cited. The USGS inventories official software products cataloged in the DOI registration system, so it is important to ensure that the DOI metadata appropriately describe the software product.