We are the central point of contact for all questions relating to scientific publishing at GFZ. All publications that originate at GFZ are recorded in GFZpublic. We determine key figures for evaluation procedures and prepare citation analyses on request.

We advise on topics such as financing open access publications, secondary publications, dealing with open licenses (Creative Commons) and more. This also includes support through the (pro rata) assumption of publication fees via our Open Access budget, as well as through participation in DEAL contracts and other publishing agreements that grant researchers preferential conditions for Open Access publishing. 

Our publishing services enable us to publish in our own series STR and STR-Data and as well as conference papers, books, reports and the hosting of journals. We also assign persistent identifiers such as DOI, URN, ISBN and ISSN.

The library manages the GFZ's central publication database, GFZpublic, in which all publications by GFZ scientists are recorded. On the basis of the database GFZpublic, the library regularly determines standardized key metrics that are required as part of evaluation procedures such as POF, QUIBS  and other procedures at the GFZ.

As an institutional repository, GFZpublic [GFZ intranet] provides the necessary infrastructure for the secondary publication (Green Open Access) of GFZ publications from subscription-based journals. In addition, the publication lists of GFZ scientists, sections, PoF topics and scientific infrastructures are generated using the database and integrated into the GFZ website. 

GFZpublic also serves as a publication platform through which the library makes scientific results permanently accessible with assigned persistent identifiers, such as DOI and URN.

On the basis of the central publication database GFZpublic, the library regularly determines standardized key metrics [GFZ intranet], which are required within the framework of evaluation procedures such as PoF [GFZ intranet], QUIBS [GFZ intranet] and others at the GFZ. On request, the library team also prepares bibliometric analyses for GFZ scientists (H-index, impact factor for journals) and offers sound advice. The analyses are based on data from the Web of Science and Scopus

Our library search engine ALBERT (All Library Books, journals and Electronic Records Telegrafenberg) is the central knowledge portal for the Albert Einstein Science Park. It combines the functionality of a classic library catalog with a wide range of printed and electronic resources, including books, journals and maps. In addition, ALBERT provides access to daily updated metadata of articles from over 2,000 journals, to full texts from subject-specific open access repositories and to the publication databases of GFZ, PIK and RIFS. The service is supplemented by research data from GFZ Data Services and other repositories as well as personal and project-related bibliographic collections from the geo- and environmental sciences.

The library offers GFZ employees’ access to licensed databases such as the Web of Science, Scopus or GeoRef and a large number of free specialist databases. The offer includes bibliographic as well as factual and full-text databases that can be searched for articles. You can find an overview of all databases in DBIS (Database Information System).

Can't find the literature you are looking for in the library? You can order articles and books via our document delivery service. We will obtain the relevant literature for you from other libraries.

The library offers a wide range of different event formats (you can also find this information in our welcome brochure on the intranet). Regular events include online and on-site introductions to the library services on offer and the library's main literature resources and research tools. The on-site introductions also include a tour of the library premises in building A17.

Online consultation hours, training courses and coffee (e.g., the “Blue Sofa” series) are offered on selected topics. The organization of the Coffee Lectures is happy to receive suggestions and requests regarding the topics of the events. In addition, short webinars are regularly offered under the title "LibraryShorts", in which individual aspects of library and data services are presented. Exhibitions are also held at irregular intervals on the library premises.

GFZ Data Services is an international subject-specific repository for research data and scientific software from the Earth system sciences, hosted at GFZ. The curated data is archived, made permanently accessible and published with a digital object identifier (DOI). They range from large dynamic datasets from global monitoring networks with real-time acquisition to international services in geodesy and geophysics to small, heterogeneous datasets collected by individual researchers or small teams (“long-tail data”). In addition to DOI registration and data archiving itself, the GFZ Data Services team offers comprehensive advice from scientists and IT specialists. 

GFZ Data Services is, among others, data publisher for the IAG services ICGEM, IGETS and ISG (IAG = International Geodetic Association; ICGEM = Int. Center for Global Earth Models; IGETS = International Service for Geodynamics and Tides; ISG = International Geoid Service), the World Stress Map, INTERMAGNET, GEOFON, the Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam GIPP, TERENO, EnMAP Flight Campaigns, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIK, the Specialized Information Service Geosciences Solid Earth (FID GEO), DIGIS Geochemical Data for GEOROC 2. 0, and operates the registration service and GFZ catalog for the International Generic Sample Number IGSN. The metadata of the data and codes published via GFZ Data Services are integrated into the Earth Data Portal of the DataHub of the Research Field Earth and Environment of the Helmholtz Association as well as into other portals via standardised interfaces.

The research infrastructure at GFZ comprises satellite systems, global station networks and regional observatories, as well as instrument networks, laboratories, instrument pools and data systems. As a Helmholtz centre, GFZ fulfils an important role in providing infrastructure, data, information, instrument systems and networks. We classify the instruments and services of our research infrastructure that are available to the entire international scientific community and which are subject to special terms of use as Modular Earth Science Infrastructure (MESI).

ResearchInfrastructure@GFZ is the central discovery portal for research infrastructures and data at GFZ. It enables structured searches across disciplines, product categories (data, services and software), persons and GFZ sections, and provides basic information with links to further information on the GFZ websites and data access.

The IGSN International Generic Sample Number is a globally unique persistent identifier (PID) for the identification of physical samples and collections with a discovery functionality on the Internet. IGSNs are citable in the scientific literature and make it possible to digitally connect data and publications directly to the samples from which they originate, thus closing one of the last gaps in the complete provenance of research results.

The IGSN e.V., an international non-profit association manages the IGSN activities and operated the central registration system based on the Handle.Net system (at GFZ) until the end of 2022. In 2021, the IGSN e.V. and DataCite entered into a strategic partnership and since January 2023 IGSN IDs have been registered as IGSN IDs via DataCite. GFZ is a founding member of IGSN e.V. and offers the IGSN registration services as part of GFZ Data Services. The IGSN service includes the IGSN registration and comprehensive advice on best practices for sample metadata and discovery. 

The DFG-funded Specialised Information Service Geosciences (FID GEO) aims to improve access to digital knowledge resources for the geosciences and to contribute to the open information infrastructure in Germany. Our FID GEO service portfolio for the geoscientific community includes dedicated publication services (with DOI) for texts, research data and scientific software together with our partner repositories GEO-LEOe-docs (SUB Göttingen) and GFZ Data Services. On the other hand, we offer comprehensive advice for researchers, learned societies and institutions on electronic publication strategies and open science practices and are increasingly acknowledged as a a centre of expertise for the changing publication culture in the geosciences.