Source: Freepik
Happy Halloween! Have you ever heard of “tombstones”? We have put together a special and mystical article for you to mark the spooky holiday of the year. The digital world offers us enormous opportunities, but what happens when research data is deleted? Is it lost forever? This is where the idea of “tombstones” comes into play – an elegant solution to make the disappearance of research data more transparent.
What Is a Tombstone?
Simply put, a tombstone is a landing page that appears in place of research data that is no longer available. Imagine a tombstone that commemorates a deceased person. In the world of research data, a tombstone fulfills a similar function: when data is deleted, the associated persistent identifier (PID) remains active. This does not lead to a dead link, but to a special page – the “tombstone page” – with the metadata of the originally existing data. This means that the information about the data is retained even if it is no longer available.
In this way, the scientific community at least learns that the data existed – and why it was removed. This creates transparency and prevents gaps in knowledge. After all, nothing is more annoying than a broken link, especially if it leads to important research data.
FAIR Principles and the Importance of Metadata
The FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) stipulate that data must remain findable after it has disappeared, even if it is no longer available. In particular, FAIR criterion A.2 requires that PIDs must not lead nowhere, but must continue to provide useful information. These requirements highlight the need to maintain access to information even after data has been deleted.
Metadata plays a central role here. Even if the data itself is deleted, the metadata – i.e. information such as the title, authors and reason for deletion – is invaluable for future research. It provides the context that is essential for scientific exchange. Without this information, there is a risk that valuable research results will be irretrievably lost.
What Does a Tombstone Reveal?
A tombstone reveals far more than just that data has been removed. Why was the data deleted? Was it due to licensing issues, privacy concerns or other reasons? These details are important to make the history of the data comprehensible. A well-implemented tombstone leaves no questions unanswered.
Conclusion: Leaving Traces
Even if data is not eternal, it can still leave traces. Tombstones are a simple but effective tool for preserving the digital memory of science. They ensure that important information does not disappear into the void and promote transparency in research. This makes research more sustainable and trustworthy – even if the data cannot remain forever.
Learn More
The RDM team will be happy to answer any questions you may have about RDM. The RDM team is looking forward to your inquiries and is ready to help you. We are happy to support you in all matters relating to the management of your research data.
Responsible for the content of this article is Hania Eid.
The following sources served as the basis for this article:
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