The GitHub platform is widely used for developing and sharing code, but also for disseminating data and results related to research articles. Perhaps, you share a video, a data set or any supplementary data to your article and prefer GitHub as part of your research workflow.
However, using GitHub will not provide your outputs with a persistent identifier, such as the DOI or helps you select an appropriate use license for your work.
The Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
A DOI can identify any digital, physical or abstract object while at the same time provide a long-lasting reference to information about the object. It is like the Danish social security number (CPR-no.) of the object. The organization providing the DOI has service and systems to ensure the persistent availability of this information. When users cite the DOI of your research output, it is possible to track the reuse of your research output.
License
A license tells users how they can use and credit the creator of a work. In GitHub and any other platform, you must state yourself under which license (for example MIT or CC BY 4.0), your work is shared. If a research object is shared without a license, then users must contact the owner to ask for permission to use it. [1] To make life easier for yourself and your users, always assign a clear license to your outputs.
Solution – GitHub integration in DTU Data
DTU Library offers a repository for publishing data, code and other research outputs: DTU Data. Using DTU Data provides your work a DOI and it is mandatory to choose a use license before publication. If you are a fan of GitHub and prefers to develop and keep your research outputs here, you can integrate your GitHub repository with DTU Data. Thus, your work will be uploaded to DTU Data and with every release, the work in DTU Data will also be updated. The assigned DOI and license from DTU Data should also be stated in GitHub.
Here is an example of Rasmus Fromsejers GitHub repository (https://github.com/rasmusfr/RxnNet) that has been published also in DTU Data (https://doi.org/10.11583/DTU.25898161). Rasmus states the code citation in GitHub and the license is clear in both GitHub and DTU Data. In DTU Data, he can track downloads and citations, which is not possible in GitHub.
Other examples
The integration can be done with other materials, such as data or videos shared in GitHub. However often, DTU Data is chosen as the only publication platform.
See how Maja Johannesen shares videos that can be viewed without downloading: https://doi.org/10.11583/DTU.26491237 In this way, you can keep the rights to your work and not leave it to YouTube to determine the access.
You can also publish models (https://doi.org/10.11583/DTU.25442134), data management plans (https://doi.org/10.11583/DTU.21162127 ) and instruments (https://doi.org/10.11583/DTU.25673604) in DTU Data.
