: DOI

Definition

"A unique alphanumeric string assigned to a digital object – in this case, an electronic journal article or a book chapter. In the CrossRef system, each DOI ... uniquely identifies the content item and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet" (from CrossRef). CrossRef is the official DOI registration agency for scholarly and professional publications.

"The Digital Object Identifier (DOI^®) System is for identifying content objects in the digital environment. DOI^® names are assigned to any entity for use on digital networks. They are used to provide current information, including where they (or information about them) can be found on the Internet. Information about a digital object may change over time, including where to find it, but its DOI name will not change" (from www.doi.org).

A DOI is the standard for identifying online locations of items such as journal articles. It is a unique number to identify a specific online item. The DOI has recently been added to APA guidelines as a requirement for citing material. It is a truly persistent link that is always reliable.

More information is available at the CrossRef website. You can also watch a Flash presentation demonstrating DOIs.
 

Anatomy of a DOI

To understand a DOI means, let's use an example.

The DOI for an article entitled
"Atomic Force Microscopy of Cholera Toxin B-oligomers Bound to Bilayers of Biologically Relevant Lipids"
in the Elsevier journal Journal of Molecular Biology is:
10.1006/jmbi.1995.0238.

In scholarly publications, the DOI begins with a prefix of 10.XXXX. Each prefix is assigned to a specific publisher. It always starts with 10, then a period, then 4 numbers. Each publisher has a unique 4-number prefix. In this case, the publisher is Elsevier and Elsevier's prefix is 10.1006. A suffix is assigned by the publisher and can take any form the publisher chooses. The suffix refers to a particular item available from that publisher. In this case it refers to a specific article. Elsevier assigned the letters "jmbi" to the Journal of Molecular Biology. They developed their own code to identify each article within that journal.

Make a DOI Actionable - How Does it Work?

Explanation

A DOI must go to a website which decodes it and directs the user to the correct location (this is called resolving the url).

The website is at http://dx.doi.org.

To make your DOI link to a document, do one of the following :

• Go to the DOI website and enter a DOI in the box, which will re-direct you to the correct location.
• Add the website url to the beginning of your DOI.
  • For the item in our example, use the url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jmbi.1995.0238.
  • This goes to the DOI website, resolves the url, and sends you to the correct location - seamlessly. You won't see what's happening; you'll just go to the site of the document.

Authentication

If the object has restricted access and the Trent Library provides this access, the proxy server prefix is needed for off-campus authentication.

The proxy prefix for Trent is: http://web2.trentu.ca:2048/login?url=

Because the proxy server is of no use to those outside of Trent, it should only be used for Trent communications, such as course readings.

Finding a DOI

APA guidelines include a requirement for a DOI for online references. There are aids to help you find a DOI if you don't already know it. CrossRef offers some options:

There's a 3-minute video from APA showing DOI retrieval from the PsycINFO database on YouTube.

APA Guidelines

For information on using a DOI in APA style referencing, see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) which is available from Reserve or in the Reference section at BF 76.7 .A46 2010.

Top of page.
Last Modified: November 17, 2011
Maintained by , Thomas J. Bata Library.