Zenodo aims to be as open as possible for research-related content, to lower the barrier for sharing research outputs, and to support scientific discourse. At the same time Zenodo is a research repository, and does not assess the scientific correctness or quality of submissions. Peer reviewers, expert communities, and scholarly channels do that. Content on Zenodo is part of the scholarly record, and depositors are responsible for meeting the common research standards of rigor such as the ones that journals, conferences, and other scholarly venues might require.
We consider the following content classes misuse of Zenodo (i.e. unsolicited, irrelevant, or deceptive content) and outside the scope of our mission. "Content" here covers anything uploaded by a user on Zenodo:
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Non-research content: Submissions that lack a clear connection to research and science.
Examples include:
- Personal content such as diaries, opinion pieces, manifestos, or autobiographical material with no research component.
- Commercial content such as product listings, service descriptions, or business proposals.
- Creative works (fiction, poetry, art portfolios) not connected to a recognized research project or scholarly output.
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AI-generated content without verifiable research basis: Content produced largely by generative AI tools of any modality, without a verifiable connection to legitimate research activity conducted by humans. Submissions should reflect research work conducted by its authors. AI may be used as a tool, but not as the source of the research itself. AI tools cannot be listed as authors/creators or contributors.
Examples of unsuitable use include:
- Submitting raw AI output as a research paper.
- AI-generated survey papers without substantial original analysis.
- Fabricated or unsupported findings presented as empirical results.
- Uploading raw AI outputs as primary research artefacts.
See our Generative AI policy for depositors for full guidance on authorship, accountability, disclosure, and fabricated results.
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Malicious or harmful content: Content containing links that direct users to phishing sites, malware, or any other potentially harmful online locations.
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Promotional content: Content uploaded primarily for promotion or marketing rather than research dissemination.
Examples include:
- CVs, resumes, or author profiles.
- Book reviews or tutorials created to promote specific authors, publishers, or products.
- Content whose primary purpose is directing users to commercial services, paid consultations, or product sales.
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Abstract-only content: Entries that contain only an abstract without providing access to the full research material or digital resource they reference.
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Fake or predatory publishing: Content from journals or publishers using unethical publishing practices. Examples include:
- Falsified peer review claims or fabricated editorial boards.
- Charging authors for expedited publication without proper quality checks.
- Journals with no verifiable review process presenting content as peer-reviewed.
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Journal indexing: Bulk submissions from publishers seeking to use Zenodo primarily as a free journal indexing/archiving service, often to avoid DOI registration fees. If you plan to do bulk submission of a journal, please contact us on support for explicit permission. We do support certain journals when there is a specific research purpose (e.g. FAIR data for a specific domain), or when a journal is run from within an academic institution without hosting means.
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Student assignment submissions: Multiple submissions of similar work from different students, suggesting task assignments submitted to fulfil class requirements rather than for research dissemination. Students can submit research-related output to Zenodo (in particular bachelor or master theses). Zenodo is a research dissemination platform, not a submission system for homework. Please use https://sandbox.zenodo.org to train prospective researchers in data sharing.
This list is not exhaustive and we may update it as new cases arise.
Note on spam: We consider spam to be content that is unsolicited, irrelevant, or deceptive. Spam does not necessarily need to be submitted in bulk.
Note on misinformation: Misinformation and disinformation are a concern but pose different challenges in a scholarly context. Research can include controversial or speculative ideas that, while potentially flawed or disputed, may still be part of scientific discourse. Removing such content too broadly could limit academic freedom and discourage open scientific exploration. Content grounded in research activity but containing disputed or potentially false claims may be removed or labelled with links to peer reviews where they exist, but follows a different procedure than content removals. We encourage the use of communities as a method for experts to curate content.
Note on AI-generated misinformation: AI-generated content that presents unsubstantiated claims as research findings is handled under the AI-generated content section above, regardless of how the author characterizes the work.
Please contact us on our support line if you are in doubt whether a specific use of Zenodo is within scope.