The effects of research data identifiers in data availability statements on scholarly output diffusion

This study investigates the effects of research data identifiers specified in data availability statements (DASs) on citations, with altmetrics serving as mediating indicators, as part of broader efforts to analyse the impact of open science policies on the diffusion of scholarly outputs. For this purpose, the study examined DAS from articles published in PLOS ONE over the past 11 years and collected data on the characteristics of research data identifiers, altmetrics and citations. Using a structural equation model to analyse the relationships among these variables, the results revealed that ID diversity affected citations indirectly through saves, URLs through saves and usages, and Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) through saves, views and usages, although the effects were positive yet weak. This study is significant in demonstrating that DAS, as one of the institutional mechanisms for research data disclosure, can positively contribute to the diffusion of scholarly outputs.