A digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Web. The publisher assigns a DOI when an article is published and made available electronically. The DOI is unique to an individual work. Not all publishers participate in the DOI initiative; therefore, an article may or may not have a DOI assigned.
All DOI numbers begin with a 10 and contain a prefix and a suffix separated by a slash. The prefix is a unique number of four or more digits assigned to organizations; the suffix is assigned by the publisher and was designed to be flexible with publisher identification standards.
Where to find the DOI
- Usually located on the first page of an electronic journal article, near the copyright notice or near the author's address.
- May also be found in the Full Record Display of an article in a database, with the field labeled DOI.
- Use this format for DOI in your references: doi:xxxxxxxxxxx
If there is no DOI found on the article or in the database:
- Check Cross-Ref DOI Lookup.
- If no DOI located, provide the journal home page Web address.
Revised September 28, 2009
http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/styleguides/doi.html