Releases & DOIs

GitHub Releases: A snapshot for publication

NoteA GitHub release is a named snapshot of your repository at a point in time — typically tied to a paper submission or publication.

So far, Git has tracked every change you have made — but it will continue to do so even after publication! A paper needs to cite a specific, stable version earmarked on GitHub via a release.

Releases use semantic versioning: v MAJOR . MINOR . PATCH

  • v1.0.0 — first stable, publication-ready version
  • v1.1.0 — new features added after publication
  • v1.0.1 — bug fix, no new features
TipFor most research code, v1.0.0 may be the only release you make!
ImportantA GitHub release is a stable snapshot — but it is not permanent. It can be deleted, renamed, or changed. It does not have a DOI, so it can (should) not be cited in a paper.

DOIs are generated via a process called minting — a release becomes a permanent, citable version of your code when a DOI is minted, which is accompanied by a persistent archive of the codebase.

Zenodo: Making your code citable

Zenodo is an open research repository hosted by CERN. It will:

  • Archive a permanent copy of your code
  • Issue a DOI that can be cited
  • Index your work so others can find it more readily
  • Track metrics like views and citations

GitHub & Zenodo: Workflow

  1. Go to zenodo.org and sign in
  2. Navigate to your account → GitHub
  3. Find your repository in the list and toggle it on
  4. Go to your repository on GitHub and create a new Release (tag: v1.0.0)
  5. Return to Zenodo — your DOI will appear within a few minutes
TipToday we will use sandbox.zenodo.org — a practice environment that issues test DOIs. It requires a separate account from zenodo.org. The experience is identical, however the DOIs are not permanent.

In Practice

CautionExercises

4.4 Change the visibility to public (Settings → General → Change repository visibility)

4.5 Link your GitHub account to zenodo and enable tracking of your repository

4.6 Create a v1.0.0 release — then watch Zenodo mint your DOI

4.7 Collect the DOI for the repository and add it to the .qmd file for the manuscript