What kinds of research outputs can be shared on Zenodo?

Updated

Zenodo accepts a broad range of research outputs, not just journal articles. Based on what the platform itself displays, you can share datasets, presentations, software, and publications, and each item can carry a version number (such as v1), an open-access label, and a link to a specific community. If your work is a dataset, a slide deck, a code release, or a paper tied to a project or journal, Zenodo is built to host it.

Output types visible on Zenodo

The homepage's "Recent uploads" section shows the type label attached to each item. Two examples from the same day illustrate the range:

Type shown Example item Notes from the listing
Dataset LINF_210011300 (Leishmania infantum protein) Marked "Open", version v1, part of the "Leishmania and leishmaniasis" community
Presentation CoARA Conference 2026 presentation on Hungary's National Chapter Marked "Open", version v1, part of a CoARA National Chapters community

So the platform is not limited to one format. A dataset and a conference presentation sit side by side in the same upload feed, both openly accessible and both versioned.

What each item can carry

From the listing details, a single Zenodo record can include:

  • A resource type — the page distinguishes at least Dataset and Presentation, and the community descriptions reference software and publications as well.
  • A version — items show "(v1)", meaning records are versioned rather than overwritten.
  • An access status — items are labeled "Open".
  • A community affiliation — each upload is "Part of" a named community.
  • Usage signals — views and downloads are tracked (the two datasets show 0 Views / 0 Downloads at upload time).

Communities group outputs by field or project

Zenodo organizes much of its content into communities, and the "Featured communities" list shows how varied those can be:

  • EU Open Research Repository — outputs from Horizon Europe, Euratom, and earlier Framework Programmes.
  • AAS Journals — data and software for American Astronomical Society journals (ApJ, AJ, ApJL, ApJS, BAAS, PSJ, RNAAS).
  • The Generic Mapping Tools — items related to that software.
  • Biodiversity Literature Repository — publications on bio-systematics.
  • Machine Learning for Particle Physics.
  • Generalist Repository Ecosystem Initiative (GREI) — data management and sharing within the NIH data ecosystem.
  • Aurora Universities Network — results from a European university network.
  • European Climate and Energy Modelling Forum (ECEMF) — a Horizon 2020 energy and climate project.

The pattern: a community can be a funder program, a journal, a software project, a discipline, or a single research project. If your output belongs to one of these, uploading it to that community keeps it grouped with related work.

How to decide if your output fits

Ask three questions:

  1. Is it a research output rather than a personal file? Datasets, presentations, software, and publications all qualify based on what the site shows.
  2. Does it belong to a community? If a funder, journal, or project community matches your work, that's where it should go.
  3. Do you need versioning or open access? Records support version numbers and an open-access label, so ongoing or public work is a natural fit.

If the answer to the first question is yes, Zenodo is designed to host it. The community step is what determines where it appears and who curates it.