ARK Alliance Promotes Persistent Identifiers for Research and Scholarship

What are Archival Resource Keys (ARKs)?

Archival Resource Keys (ARKs) function as persistent identifiers, providing stable and trusted references for information objects. Their primary purpose is to ensure that web addresses (URLs) remain accessible over time, preventing "404 Page Not Found" errors. The ARK Alliance is an open, global community dedicated to maintaining and developing the ARK infrastructure for research and scholarship.

Widespread Adoption and Use

Since their introduction in 2001, over 15.3 billion ARKs have been generated by more than 1700 organizations worldwide. These organizations include libraries, data centers, archives, museums, publishers, government agencies, and vendors. Researchers and other end-users depend on ARKs for long-term access to scientific and cultural records.

Comparison with Other Persistent Identifiers

ARKs share similarities with other persistent identifiers like DOIs, URNs, and Handles, all of which were introduced over 25 years ago and are used in large numbers. These identifiers typically begin with a string identifying the assigning authority, require active URL redirect updates, and support research and scholarship by appearing in indexes like the Data Citation Index and Wikipedia.

However, ARKs distinguish themselves by being more cost-effective, flexible, and decentralized. Users can create an unlimited number of identifiers without fees, attach any type of metadata (or none), and append extensions or query strings during resolution. ARKs also allow direct linking to content without requiring a landing page and enable millions of ARKs to be resolvable by managing just one through a mechanism called suffix passthrough.

Getting Involved

Organizations interested in creating ARKs can submit a request form. Individuals wishing to contribute to the ARK Alliance can join one of its working groups.