Advancing Research Sharing Through DataCite's Global Access Fund: University National Center of Scientific and Technical Documentation (CNUDST), Tunisia

In the digital era, making research easily discoverable and accessible cannot be overstated. In this context, the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) system has emerged as a global persistent identifiers (PIDs) standard for identifying and linking digital content. However, many institutions in Tunisia, as well as institutions in other developing countries, have been slow to adopt this system due to various challenges.

Building a local community is therefore essential to deal with the adoption of PIDs, including DOIs. A strong, collaborative network should facilitate the sharing of knowledge, resources, and best practices, ensuring that all stakeholders are well-informed and engaged. This community-driven approach not only promotes the widespread use of DOIs but also fosters innovation and efficiency in managing digital resources.

The Tunisian DOI Consortium Initiative

To address this need, the Tunisian DOI Consortium initiative was established, led by CNUDST and supported by a GAF award from DataCite. The consortium will provide a platform for institutions to pool resources, share knowledge, and engage collectively with open infrastructures such as DataCite.

Our partnership with DataCite has been instrumental to the project’s success. DataCite offers tools and resources that simplify the assignment of DOIs to digital and physical objects. A significant advantage of this collaboration is DataCite’s commitment to promoting openness and implementing open science principles. Indeed, all metadata registered with DataCite DOIs is publicly available, which aligns with our goal of enhancing the visibility of Tunisian research.

The primary goal of the Tunisian DOI Consortium is to create a sustainable national community that enhances the adoption and implementation of DOIs across the country and thus, should effectively utilize DataCite's open infrastructure. This infrastructure is crucial for improving the visibility of Tunisian research outputs on a global scale, thereby fostering greater international collaboration and recognition for Tunisian researchers.

Kick-off Meeting

The Tunisian DOI Consortium kick-off was marked by a webinar hosted by CNUDST, which highlighted the partnership with DataCite and outlined the project's objectives and expected outcomes. The webinar also extended an invitation to local communities and stakeholders to respond to the call to join, emphasizing the collaborative effort needed to achieve the consortium's goals.

The initiative involves key academic partners, producers, and publishers of research resources. More than 30 entities have joined this initiative, including among others:

• Four universities: University of Sousse, University of Jendouba, University of Gafsa, and University of Kairouan.
• Nine research centers : Centre de Recherches et des Technologies des Eaux, Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj Cedria, Centre d'Études et de Recherches Économiques et Sociales, Institut de l'Olivier, Centre de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Centre de Recherches et des Études pour le Dialogue des Civilisations et des Religions Comparées, Institut National de Recherche et d'Analyse Physico-Chimique, and Centre de Recherche en Microélectronique et Nanotechnologie de Sousse.
• One NREN: The Agriculture research network IRESA.
• Eight academic and scientific societies; Société Tunisienne de Biologie Clinique, Société Tunisienne des Sciences Médicales, Société Tunisienne d'ORL et de Chirurgie Cervico-Faciale, Association de Développement des Sciences Médicales, Institut des Belles Lettres Arabes, Société Tunisienne de Pédiatrie, Association Tunisienne des Nano Matériaux et leurs Applications and Association Tunisienne d'Anthropologie.

Moreover, as part of its involvement in the DataCite Consortium Partnership Program giving support to align with DataCite's mission of promoting best practices for establishing DOI consortia globally, CNUDST organized a webinar on June 6, 2024. The primary event goal was to equip attendees with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively contribute to developing the consortium's operational frameworks. The one-hour session featured insights into the establishment and governance of DOI consortia, with experts from DataCite and representatives from international consortia in France, Canada, and the UK sharing their experiences. The objective was to familiarize potential members with best practices and sustainable consortium models.

Implementation and Sustainability

A key event in the implementation of this initiative was the workshop titled “Tunisian DOI Consortium: Implementation and Sustainable Management,” which took place on June 26, 2024. This workshop encapsulated pivotal discussions on how to effectively implement and manage the consortium to ensure its sustainability and success in the Tunisian context.

A significant outcome of the workshop was the creation of a charter for the consortium, outlining membership rights and the roles of each member institution. The charter also details the fee structure for joining and governance procedures necessary for effective decision-making and collaboration. By establishing clear guidelines, it aims to foster a cohesive and transparent environment, ensuring all parties understand their responsibilities and benefits within the consortium. To move forward, we propose submitting this charter for approval by the decision-making heads of the participating institutions. This step is essential to formalize the consortium and lay the groundwork for its successful operation.

Across all organized events, more than 200 participants joined us. This strong turnout reflects the growing interest and engagement in our initiatives, highlighting the commitment of individuals and institutions to advancing our collective goals.

Currently, activities focus on assigning DOIs to collected unpublished digital research outputs and published ones across over ten online scientific journals. Some of these journals have successfully achieved automatic registration with the assistance of technical support of CNUDST's staff, by integrating their publishing platform with the DataCite infrastructure via the DataCite API. In other cases, manual registration has been completed using the Fabrica web interface. Additionally, efforts are underway to integrate with PIST.TN, the Tunisian national repository, now allows users to export MARC XML records to DataCite XML.

Starting DOI Registration

In September, we began to see some ambitious results, with the number of registered DOIs exceeding 400 within just two weeks. This achievement includes contributions from notable publications such as the Tunisian Journal of Clinical Biology (RTBC), the INSTM Bulletin: Marine and Freshwater Sciences, Dirāsāt Hispānicas. Tunisian Journal of Hispanic Studies, and the Biomedicine & Healthcare Research Journal (BHR). These significant milestones reflect the growing momentum and impact of our initiatives in the Tunisian research landscape.

Feedback from researchers and institutions has been largely positive. However, challenges have arisen, particularly regarding awareness and adoption of DOIs. Key lessons learned include the importance of ongoing communication and training to overcome these barriers.

Since its inception, the Tunisian DOI Consortium has made significant progress in promoting the use of DOIs in Tunisia. Several institutions have joined, leading to a steady increase in registered DOIs.

Next Steps

Looking ahead, we plan to expand our outreach to more institutions nationwide and provide training and support to help them maximize the benefits of DOIs. In the final trimester of the project, we will continue to train researchers on DOI usage, share best practices, and engage the community to strengthen support for the initiative.

The consortium exemplifies how collaboration and resource sharing can address challenges in adopting global standards of scholarly communication. Our experience with DataCite highlights the value of partnerships in advancing open-access initiatives, and we hope our journey will inspire other countries to pursue similar efforts.

Overall, the Tunisian DOI Consortium represents a strategic move towards integrating Tunisia into the global research community by enhancing research visibility and accessibility. It significantly advances the academic landscape by improving collaboration and resource access. We aim to help local libraries provide training on DOI usage, encourage government support through favorable policies, and engage other stakeholders to foster a robust research environment.

To learn more, we invite you to explore the resources available on the CNUDST website and follow our upcoming activities on social media!

• CNUDST Website : https://www.cnudst.rnrt.tn/en/open-access/consortuim-doi-tunisien/
• YouTube: CNUDST Channel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNUDST
• X: https://x.com/cnudst
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/CNUDST