DOCiD™ Metadata Schema

Publication and Citation of Research Data and Other Research Outputs

Version 2.0 • Revised 2026

About version 2.0

This revision realigns the documentation with the deployed system. It adds the Integration Contract, Identifiers & PID Minting and Integrity & Checksums, documents national identity numbers and their server-side masking under Property: Creator, records which schema fields are actually readable through the API under Serialisation Status, and documents the Local Contexts and research resource (RRID) subsystems for the first time.

Not yet documented

These subsystems are implemented but not yet covered in depth. Until they are, treat the API as authoritative rather than assuming absence here means absence from the system: versioning, repository harvesting (DSpace and OAI-PMH), tenant branding, and metadata enrichment. Their endpoints are summarised in the API Reference.

1.
Introduction

Overview of DOCiD™ metadata schema, purpose, and scope for African research institutions
2.
System Architecture

Comprehensive system design, components, and architectural patterns
3.
Metadata Properties

Complete specification of 8 core metadata properties.
- 3.1
  Required Properties
4.
API Reference

Complete REST API documentation with endpoints, authentication, and examples
5.
External Services Integration

Integration with scholarly communication infrastructure and research services
6.
Integration Contract

Environments, authentication, the authorization matrix, pagination and error semantics
7.
Identifiers & PID Minting

DOCiD, DOI and Handle fields; the 20.500.14351 prefix; the CORDRA minting lifecycle and resolution
8.
Integrity & Checksums

SHA-256 fixity for deposited files and the public verification endpoint
9.
Local Contexts

TK and BC Labels and Notices, how they are cached from the Local Contexts Hub, and how they attach to a record
10.
Research Resources (RRID)

Identifying antibodies, cell lines, organisms and software via SciCrunch RRIDs
A.
Appendices

Controlled vocabularies, cultural protocols, and validation reference

Introduction

The DOCiD™ (Digital Object Container Identifier) Metadata Schema provides a comprehensive framework for the publication and citation of research data and other research outputs. It is specifically designed to support cultural heritage centres, museums, patent offices, funders, facilities, and publishing infrastructures. This schema is the DOCiD™ Metadata Schema 1.0 with additional support for cultural protocols, Indigenous knowledge systems, and African research contexts.

Purpose and Scope

DOCiD™ serves as a sophisticated publication and document identifier management platform that addresses some unique needs, such as African scholarly communication. The platform integrates multiple persistent identifier systems, supports hierarchical metadata structures, and provides seamless integration with international research infrastructure while respecting local cultural protocols and Indigenous knowledge systems.

Design Principles

Core Design Philosophy

Cultural Sensitivity: Incorporates Traditional Knowledge (TK) labels and Biocultural Community (BC) protocols
Interoperability and FAIR data compliance: Alignment with the Handle System and other international standards on Open Science and Open Infrastructure
Extensibility: Flexible schema supporting diverse African research outputs and cultural contexts
Scholarly Rigor: Comprehensive metadata validation and quality assurance
Community Governance: Developed through collaborative African research community input

Schema Characteristics

The DOCiD™ Metadata Schema implements 8 core properties, enhanced with African research-specific extensions:

Property Category	Count	Examples	African Extensions
Required Properties	8	Identifier, Creator, Title, Publications, Documents, Resource Type, Funder, Project	Cultural creator roles, Indigenous titles
Optional Properties	14	Subject, Description, Language, Rights, Geo Location	Local Contexts labels, African language support
Identifier Types	10+	DOI, Handle, CSTR, DOCiD™	African institutional identifiers
Controlled Vocabularies	15+	Resource types, Creator roles, Relation types	Indigenous knowledge classifications

Integration with African Research Infrastructure

DOCiD™ is designed to integrate seamlessly with the broader African research ecosystem:

National Research Networks: Integration with Ubuntunet Alliance, KENET, TENET, RENU, and other African NRENs
Regional Repositories: Support for African institutional repositories and digital libraries
International Standards: Compliance with global metadata standards while respecting local contexts
Multilingual Support: Native support for African languages and multilingual metadata
Cultural Protocols: Implementation of Local Contexts protocols for Indigenous knowledge

Governance and Development

The DOCiD™ Metadata Schema is developed and maintained through a collaborative governance model involving African research institutions, international standards bodies, and Indigenous knowledge communities. The working group includes representatives from major African universities, research organizations, and cultural institutions.

Schema Version Information

                            Schema Version: 1.0
Release Date: 2025
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Repository: https://github.com/Africa-PID-Alliance/DOCiD
                        

Implementation Status

As of 2025, the DOCiD™ platform is actively deployed and used by research institutions across Africa, with ongoing development supported by the African PID Alliance and international research infrastructure organizations.

Current Implementation

This documentation represents the current implementation of the DOCiD™ Metadata Schema as deployed in production systems. Future versions will continue to evolve based on community feedback and emerging requirements from African research institutions.

System Architecture