The CoreTrustSeal certification scheme undergoes a thorough evaluation every three years, during which feedback is collected from the community of certified repositories, reviewers, and other stakeholders. This process ensures that the requirements remain relevant in a rapidly changing data environment and that evolving best practices are incorporated. The consultation took place via a public survey, which was open until mid-2025.
Maaike Verburg, Research Data Management Specialist at DANS and treasurer of the CoreTrustSeal Board: “The last revision of the CoreTrustSeal requirements was quite significant. It’s good to see that the community still aligns with those proposals and that the changes in this new version are more minor. The biggest change is the revision of the curation and preservation levels, based on a discussion paper shared with the community beforehand. In this round of feedback, the Board has again received suggestions of topics to address, which we’ll explore the coming year. This is how we continuously maintain the quality and relevance of the certification standard.”
Clearer and more international
Following a review of the feedback received, the Board amended the proposal and has now published the finalised set of requirements. These have been editorially revised for greater clarity and to minimise perceived overlap between, as well as to better accommodate an international audience. Many of the excellent suggestions submitted during the consultation have been incorporated into the guidance, where they fell within the scope of a set of ‘core requirements’.
While the precise details of each change can be found in the change log, the underlying motivation is clear: to ensure that the requirements continue to reflect current data repositories practices, including developments in metadata, digital preservation, transparency, and management processes.
The new requirements will take effect in January 2026 and are available on the CoreTrustSeal website, along with supporting documentation. The changes made to the requirements will be presented during the upcoming International Digital Curation Conference (IDCC) in Zagreb, Croatia.
About CoreTrustSeal
CoreTrustSeal is an international certification standard for data repositories which meet strict criteria relating to accessibility, sustainability, transparency, and governance.
These criteria are designed to ensure that repositories are trustworthy, and that data is preserved securely and metadata is sufficient for data discovery and understanding. They also ensure that repositories are managed consistently, and that long-term preservation and access are safeguarded.
The certification process is based on peer review, whereby experts from other repositories assess whether a repository meets the required criteria. This approach strengthens quality, mutual accountability, and a shared understanding of what “trustworthy” means across diverse research domains.
Through periodic revisions CoreTrustSeal remains community-driven, relevant, and responsive to developments in technology, data infrastructure, and professional practice.
