Submit data to Zenodo
Zenodo is an open-access research data repository developed under the European OpenAIRE program and operated by CERN. It allows researchers to share, preserve, cite, and access research outputs (datasets, publications, software, and more). Zenodo provides free DOI (Digital Object Identifier) generation for uploads, making your research products easily citable and accessible.
First login
When you first enter the Zenodo tool, you will need to log in with your Zenodo account or create a new account if you don't have one. The login process is done with the Zenodo API token.
Include your Family Name, First name, ORCID (if you have no ORCID iD, you can create one for free at orcid.org), affiliation (auto-completion), type of account (Personal or Organization), license, API Token and enable sandbox or production mode.
There are two types of Zenodo accounts:
- Zenodo Sandbox accounts: For testing and development purposes without affecting live data.
- Zenodo: For production use, where your research outputs are publicly accessible.
How to get the token?
- Log in to your Zenodo account.
- Navigate to your profile in the top right corner.
- Click on "Applications".
- On "Personal access tokens", click on "new token".
- Name your token, select all the rights, and click "Create".
- Copy the generated token and paste it into the Zenodo tool in the "API Token" field.
- ⚠️ Do not share your API token with anyone.
- ⚠️ Copy and save your API token in a secure place, as it will not be shown again.
Then, click on Save preferences to apply your changes. This can be changed anytime later in the settings.
Create a new deposition
To create a new deposition, on the homepage go to Create new deposition. You arrive on the following page:
Select samples
After opening a new deposition, you need to select the samples you want to upload. You can easily filter your samples using the search bar or by navigating through the folder structure.
Add metadata to your samples to easily find them. For example having a field containing the label of a molecule for a publication can be very helpful.
Then, select all your compounds using Shift + Click or Ctrl + Click and click on +. It will add all the spectra linked with the selected compounds.
Fill in deposition metadata
Once you have selected your compounds and created a new deposition, you must complete the metadata form. This step is essential to ensure your dataset is properly described, searchable, and citable.
The form contains the following fields:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Title | A concise, descriptive title for your dataset or record. | Dataset for the study of Diels-Alder reactions |
| Description | A detailed description using Markdown syntax (supports formatting, links, lists, etc.). | This dataset contains chemical spectra… |
| License | Choose an appropriate license for your data. Zenodo supports Creative Commons and others. | CC-BY-NC-1.0 |
| Publisher | Defaults to Zenodo. | Zenodo |
| Resource Type | Select the type of record (e.g., Dataset, Publication, Software, Image). | Dataset |
| Publication Date | Date the dataset is made publicly available. | 20/08/2025 |
Creators
In this section, you must list the main creators of the dataset. Each creator entry requires:
- Family Name and Given Name
- Affiliation (auto-complete available)
- ORCID iD (optional but recommended for persistent identification)
- Role (e.g., Researcher, Author)
- Type (Personal or Organizational account)
Always include ORCID iDs for authors whenever possible, this helps with correct attribution and integration in academic systems.
Contributors
You may also add contributors who were involved but are not primary creators. For each contributor, fill in:
- Family Name and Given Name
- Affiliation and ORCID iD
- Role (e.g., Data Curator, Editor, Project Manager)
- Type (Personal or Organization)
This helps acknowledge everyone involved in producing the dataset.
Related identifiers
This field allows you to link your data to other relevant identifiers. It helps establish connections between related works and improves discoverability. Is supplement to can be used for linking the DOI of the publication.
All required fields (marked with *) must be completed before you can publish your deposition.
Upload deposition
Once you have filled in all required fields and are satisfied with your deposition, you can upload it by clicking the Upload new deposition button. This will push the deposition to Zenodo for processing and publication.