Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Extensive F.A.Q.

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to a digital object -such as a journal article, research paper, dataset, book, or report- to provide a permanent and persistent link to its location on the internet.

The DOI provides a unique and persistent identifier for the following objects, making them easily locatable and citable on digital platforms, manly academic publishing to ensure reliable referencing and long-term access:

• Journal articles
• Academic papers
• Books and book chapters
• Conference proceedings
• Datasets
• Reports
• Theses and dissertations
• Multimedia (such as videos, figures, and tables)
• Software and research code (in some repositories)

You cannot simply overwrite or modify the content of a document that already has a DOI. Significant changes require a new DOI (a new version). Always refer to your publisher or repository’s policies. The DOI record refers to the specific version you registered.

Scenarios

• • Minor Corrections: some systems allow for erroneous metadata correction or minor typographical error fixes in metadata, but the content itself should remain unchanged, or an “erratum”/”corrigendum” should be published separately.
  • Substantial Changes or Updates: you should create and upload a new version (e.g., Version 2) and register a new DOI for it. You may link the old and new DOIs using metadata.

Best Practices

• • Transparency: if you must correct or update, always ensure the update trail is transparent—typically, repositories and publishers maintain a "version of record" and display updates/links to new DOIs.
  • Publisher Policies: check the policies of your repository or publisher. Some (like arXiv, Zenodo) allow versioning, others, like journal articles, usually the ones with peers review, do not.

Tips: always use the https://doi.org/ format, not just the DOI number. If no DOI is available, APA and MLA recommend a stable URL or database link, though preferences may vary. In older styles, a "doi:" prefix was sometimes used (e.g., doi:10.1234/abc). Now, the full URL is generally preferred.

New DOIs can only be registered by organizations known as "Registration Agencies" (RAs) that are officially authorized and accredited by the International DOI Foundation (IDF). Individual authors or researchers cannot directly register a DOI. Refer to chapter below for full agencies and possibilities

 Who Can Apply to RAs:

• • Publishers (academic or commercial)
  • Research institutions
  • Data repositories
  • Government agencies
  • In some cases, individual authors (if their institution is a member of an RA)

Typically, applicants need to become a member or have an agreement with an RA and pay annual/membership and per-DOI fees.

Registration requires institutional affiliation or going through a publishing platform/repository.
Private individuals typically cannot register DOIs directly with the main agencies; however, some repositories and platforms enable researchers to register DOIs directly:

• Zenodo: for datasets, software, and preprints; registers DOIs via DataCite for every new upload.
• Figshare: for data, posters, presentations, etc.; each public item gets a DOI.
• Institutional Repositories. Many use DataCite or Crossref to assign DOIs.
• OSF (Open Science Framework): Assigns DOIs to projects.

For institutions, the 6 official DOI registering platforms are:

As of 2025, these 12 agencies, or their business partners (Zenodo, Figshare, OSF ...),  are the only ones providing authentic DOI Registrations. Be especially careful about fake agencies, frequently with "doi" in their URL. Refer to doi.org if any doubt or for updates.

This is not the purpose here to advertise an organisation in particular. Among the many public and non-public institution listed already

• Price varies for free to a couple of dollars per DOI, but required an annual membership fee
• Some commercial, open to individuals may be free or very cheap. They may have certain conditions or publication rights

Always check the current fee of the agency or repository you intend to use, as prices and policies can change, so as its footprints regarding distribution, usage you grant.

• CrossRef DOI ResolverWebsite: or its Direct Resolver: enter the DOI into the search or resolver box to retrieve the associated article or publication.
• doi.org Official Resolver Website: simply paste the DOI after the URL, e.g., https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123 . This will redirect you to the publication’s landing page.
• Google Scholar Website: enter the DOI into the search bar. If the article is indexed, its details will appear in the search results.
• Publisher Websites: most scientific publishers (e.g., Springer, Wiley, Elsevier) allow you to enter the DOI in their search field to find specific articles.

While the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is the most widely used persistent identifier for digital objects such as academic articles, datasets, and official publications, there are several other systems and alternatives—each with their own specific uses, communities, and standards. Most alternatives are either general persistent identifiers (like Handle, ARK, PURL) or domain-/format-specific (ISBN, ISSN, arXiv ID, etc.). DOIs themselves are based on the Handle system but have their own governance and rules.

The persistence and suitability of each alternative depend on your use case (e.g., data citation, author ID, research resource, etc.) in the table below: