Zenodo is a free, open-access repository developed by CERN that allows researchers and publishers to assign Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to their publications — completely free of charge. Unlike commercial DOI providers, Zenodo offers unlimited DOI registration with no annual fees, making it an ideal solution for academic journals operating on limited budgets.
With a Zenodo DOI, your articles gain permanent, citable identifiers that are indexed by major academic databases, ensuring long-term discoverability and accessibility for the global research community.
How Zenodo DOI Works — What to Expect
It’s important to understand how Zenodo DOIs differ from services like CrossRef or DataCite. When you assign a DOI through Zenodo:
- The DOI link (e.g.,
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12345) resolves to the Zenodo record page, not directly to your journal website. - Zenodo stores a copy of your article (PDF and metadata) as an open-access archive on its platform.
- Your journal URL is included in the Zenodo metadata, so readers can easily find and visit your journal from the Zenodo page.
This is different from CrossRef, where the DOI link points directly to the article on your journal website. With Zenodo, your article gains an additional presence on a trusted, CERN-hosted repository — providing extra visibility, long-term preservation, and credibility. Many journals use Zenodo DOIs as a cost-free alternative to commercial DOI services, and the Zenodo landing page serves as a secondary access point that complements your journal.
The Challenge: A Tedious Manual Process
While Zenodo provides an excellent free DOI service, the process of depositing articles is entirely manual. For each article, journal editors must:
- Log in to Zenodo and create a new upload to reserve a DOI
- Copy the DOI and add it to the article’s PDF and OJS metadata
- After publishing the article in OJS, return to Zenodo
- Manually enter all metadata — title, authors, affiliations, abstract, keywords
- Fill in publishing information — journal name, ISSN, volume, issue, page numbers
- Upload the PDF file
- Review everything and publish the record
This process takes 10–15 minutes per article and is highly prone to errors — typos in author names, missing affiliations, incorrect page numbers, or forgotten keywords. For journals publishing 30–100+ articles per year, this becomes a significant burden on editorial staff.
Our Solution: Zenodo DOI Sync Plugin for OJS
Based on direct feedback and requests from our OJS clients and the academic publishing community, we developed the Zenodo DOI Sync Plugin — a comprehensive integration that automates the entire Zenodo deposit workflow directly from within OJS.
What previously took 10–15 minutes of manual data entry per article now takes a single click and a few seconds. All metadata is pulled directly from OJS, eliminating human error and ensuring consistency between your journal and Zenodo records.
We continue to actively develop this plugin and provide dedicated support based on user feedback and evolving Zenodo API requirements.
Key Features
🔑 Secure Token-Based Authentication
The plugin connects to Zenodo using your personal access token — no passwords stored, no complex OAuth flows. Simply generate a token from your Zenodo account and paste it into the plugin settings. Each journal can have its own Zenodo account and token.
🏷️ One-Click DOI Reservation
Reserve a DOI from Zenodo without leaving OJS. The DOI is automatically saved to the article’s identifier field. No need to switch between OJS and Zenodo.
📋 Automatic Metadata Synchronization
With a single click, the plugin transfers all article metadata to Zenodo:
- Title — in the article’s original language
- Authors — with full names, affiliations, and ORCID identifiers
- Abstract — with HTML formatting preserved (bold, italic, paragraphs)
- Keywords — all subject keywords from the article
- Journal Information — journal name, ISSN, volume, issue, page numbers
- Publication Date — from the OJS publishing date
📄 Automatic File Upload
The plugin automatically uploads all galley files (PDF and others) from OJS to Zenodo. It handles file cleanup — removing old files before uploading new ones — ensuring your Zenodo record always matches your OJS content.
🌐 Zenodo Community Integration
If your journal has a Zenodo community, the plugin can automatically associate new deposits with your community. Simply enter your community slug in the settings, and every new DOI reservation will be linked to your community page.
🚀 Publish to Zenodo from OJS
Once your article is published in OJS, you can publish it to Zenodo with one click. The plugin handles metadata sync, file upload, community review submission, and publication — all in a single operation.
📊 DOI Management Dashboard
A dedicated management page in the OJS sidebar gives you a complete overview of all articles and their Zenodo status:
- Filter by Zenodo status (Draft / Published), OJS status, or issue
- Search by title, DOI, or article ID
- Sort by any column
- Sync or publish individual articles directly from the dashboard
- Color-coded status badges for instant visual overview
🔄 Legacy DOI Scanner
Already have articles with Zenodo DOIs that were created manually? The built-in scanner finds all existing Zenodo DOIs in your journal, checks their current status on Zenodo (draft or published), and updates the local database — so you can manage everything from one place.
🌍 Multi-Language Support
The plugin interface is fully translated in English and Turkish, with support for additional languages. All labels, messages, and notifications adapt to your OJS language setting.
🔒 Role-Based Access Control
Only Site Administrators and Journal Managers can access Zenodo features. Authors, reviewers, and other users cannot see or interact with DOI management tools.
What’s Included
- ✅ Full plugin with all features described above
- ✅ Installation and configuration support
- ✅ Zenodo account and token setup assistance
- ✅ Community configuration help
- ✅ Free updates for compatibility and improvements
- ✅ Ongoing technical support
Continuous Updates & Important Notes
This plugin is actively maintained and regularly updated to keep pace with OJS releases and Zenodo API changes. All updates are provided free of charge.
A note about Zenodo: Zenodo is an independent service operated by CERN with its own policies and eligibility criteria. While Zenodo offers free DOI registration for most academic content, they may apply restrictions on certain types of publications or journals at their discretion. Such policies are determined solely by Zenodo and are outside the scope of this plugin. We recommend checking Zenodo’s policies to confirm eligibility for your journal.
Compatibility
- OJS Version: 3.3.x
- PHP: 7.4, 8.0, 8.1
- Zenodo API: InvenioRDM REST API
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