Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A journal publisher depositing a journal_article record with full author ORCIDs, ROR affiliations, references, CRediT roles, and a funder block.
- Is an instance
A preprint server depositing a posted_content record for a new preprint.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
DataCite XML is the analogous schema for DataCite DOIs, not Crossref.
- Not an instance
A free-text bibliography is not Crossref deposit XML.
Editorial commentary
Crossref deposit XML covers a wider range of content types than DataCite. Common elements include head (depositor info), body (the content metadata), with content-type-specific elements such as journal/journal_article, book/book_chapter, conference/conference_paper, peer_review, posted_content (preprints), and grant. Member publishers are encouraged to include ORCID iDs for contributors, ROR IDs for affiliations, CRediT roles, full reference lists, Crossmark deposit, and funder information.
Current schema version
Crossref’s recommended metadata deposit schema is version 5.4.0, with the platform accepting deposits across a backward-compatible range — schema 4.3.0 through 5.4.0 — rather than requiring every depositor to be on the latest release immediately. A breaking change to affiliations metadata was introduced at version 5.3.1, and standards deposits specifically require schema 4.3.6 or later — a reminder that “backward compatible” doesn’t mean every content type is unaffected by every version bump; check the schema-versions changelog for a specific content type before assuming an older schema still covers a wanted metadata element.
What a deposit typically includes
Beyond bibliographic basics, Crossref encourages depositing ORCID iDs for contributors, ROR IDs for affiliations, CRediT contributor roles, full structured reference lists, a Crossmark update-tracking deposit, and funder information linked to Crossref’s own Funder Registry — none required to register a DOI, but each materially improving what downstream services, including the OpenAIRE Graph, can do with the record.
How members deposit
Depositing XML reaches Crossref through several routes: direct HTTPS POST to Crossref’s deposit endpoint, an automated pipeline built on a member’s publishing platform (many journal-management systems, including OJS, generate and submit deposit XML automatically on publication), or Crossref’s own web deposit form for occasional depositors. The schema itself is not tied to any one submission route — it is the metadata content and structure of the file that must be valid, not the transport used.
References
- Crossref, “Metadata deposit schema” and “Schema versions” documentation (crossref.org/documentation/schema-library/).
Also known as
Crossref XML schema · Crossref content registration XML
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Crossref deposit XML"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/crossref-deposit-xml" />{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"@id": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/crossref-deposit-xml",
"name": "Crossref deposit XML",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/crossref-deposit-xml",
"description": "The XML schema family maintained by Crossref that publishers and content-registration members use to submit metadata when minting Crossref DOIs, with distinct sub-schemas for journals, books, conference proceedings, preprints, peer reviews, grants, and standards.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/research-info-systems#set",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/crossref-deposit-xml",
"alternateName": [
"Crossref XML schema",
"Crossref content registration XML"
],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"publisher": {
"@id": "https://casrai.org/#organization"
},
"author": {
"@id": "https://casrai.org/#editorial-team"
},
"datePublished": "2026-05-21T02:17:14",
"dateModified": "2026-09-05T17:31:06",
"inLanguage": "en-GB",
"isAccessibleForFree": true
}
