Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A DataCite DOI for a dataset whose landing page now reads 'This dataset has been withdrawn due to a data quality issue' with metadata still intact.
- Is an instance
A retracted Crossref-DOI article whose publisher landing page now shows 'RETRACTED:' prefix and links to the retraction notice DOI.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A 404 Not Found page is not a tombstone — it loses the metadata.
- Not an instance
A 'page moved' notice with no withdrawal information is not a tombstone.
Editorial commentary
Tombstone pages preserve the resolvability of the identifier even though the resource itself is gone. The page typically displays the original title, authors, type, date, and a clear withdrawal notice. For retracted journal articles, Crossref publishes a tombstone via the publisher’s landing page combined with a ‘is-retracted-by’ relationship to the retraction notice DOI. For datasets, DataCite supports a withdrawal workflow that turns the landing page into a tombstone while keeping the DOI resolving. Tombstoning is the recommended alternative to deleting an identifier.
References
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Also known as
Withdrawal page · DOI tombstone · Tombstone landing page
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
<role vocab="credit"
vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
vocab-term="Tombstone page"
vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/tombstone-page" />{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "DefinedTerm",
"name": "Tombstone page",
"identifier": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/tombstone-page",
"description": "A landing page served at a persistent identifier's resolved URL after the underlying resource has been withdrawn, retracted, or made permanently unavailable, providing metadata describing the former resource, the reason for its absence, and (where applicable) a successor identifier.",
"inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/the-persistent-identifier-ecosystem/",
"url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/tombstone-page",
"sameAs": [
"Withdrawal page",
"DOI tombstone",
"Tombstone landing page"
],
"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}
