Zenodo logoZenodo is a general-purpose data repository built on open source software that accepts all forms of research output from data files to presentation files. It was developed by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), but is open to researchers from outside the EU. Data is stored in the CERN Data Center, which provides long-term preservation.

Compare Zenodo to other options in the Harvard Biomedical Repository Matrix.

Please contact us if you have any questions or suggestions about the content of this page. Last updated: 2023-11-13

Features & Specifications

  • Data Size and Format

    File Size Limit: Total files size limit per record is 50GB. Higher quotas can be requested and granted on a case-by-case basis

    Dataset Size Limit: Currently accept up to 50GB per dataset (you can have multiple datasets). There is no size limit on communities. Zenodo also encourages researchers to reach out to discuss use cases with larger dataset sizes.

    Data Types and Formats Hosted: All file types are accepted. Files are categorized as: publications, posters, presentations, datasets, images, software, videos/audio, and interactive materials. Zenodo also integrates with GitHub to deposit GitHub repositories for sharing and long-term preservation.

  • Data Licensing

    Waiver: Users can choose from a long list of licenses, with the default being Creative Commons Zero (CC0). Users must specify a license for all publicly available files.

  • Data Attribution and Citation Tools

    Zenodo assigns all publicly available uploads a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to make the upload easily and uniquely citable. Zenodo further supports harvesting of all content via the OAI-PMH protocol. Also allows the user to enter a previously assigned DOI.

  • User Access Controls

    Option to Share: Users can choose to deposit files under open, embargoed, restricted, or closed access. For embargoed files, the user can choose the length of the embargo period, and the content will become publicly available automatically at the end of the embargo period. Users may also deposit restricted files and grant access to specific individuals.

  • Data Access Tools

    Search:

    • Free-text search functionality is provided. Machine-readable metadata are also recorded, according to the Invenio Digital Library Framework. Zenodo communicates with existing services, such as Mendeley, ORCID, Crossref, and OpenAIRE for pre-filling metadata.
    • All metadata is openly available on the site, regardless of the type of data access selected.

    Download: In addition to individual file downloading, Zenodo has an OAI-PMH API for programmatic data and metadata access, as described in the API documentation

    Proprietary File Format Access: None

    Data Analysis: None

  • Cost

    Free

  • Other Features

    Pros

    • Able to share data with collaborators or the public
    • Seeking a DOI for a dataset or group of related datasets
    • Zenodo makes it easy to sign up with your ORCID identifier or GitHub account

     

    Cons

    • Lacks public page view and download statistics
    • Proprietary file types are accessible only to users with access to the necessary software