Answered By: Francine May
Last Updated: Sep 05, 2024     Views: 97

What is a DOI and how can I use it to access an article or resource?


What is a DOI?

Benefits of using DOIs?

  • Reliable access to content: the unique identifier links to digital resources such as journal articles, e-books, datasets, reports, and other scholarly materials.
  • Persistent access: Even if the location of the content changes, the DOI provides constant access. 
  • Reliable citations: Used in academic references to accurately cite digital materials.

Where to find a DOI:

  • Typically on the first page of scholarly articles, below the title or in the header/footer.
  • If you can't find a DOI: Search the Crossref database by switching to "Search metadata" and entering the article's title.
  • Note: not all articles have a DOI.

Including DOIs in citations:

DOIs as URLs:

  • Clickable link resolving to the location of the article. 
  • Example: DOI as a URLhttps://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3026(17)30123-0
  • Create by adding https://doi.org/ before any DOI starting with "10."
  • If you have older DOI formats (e.g., doi:10.1016/...) they should be updated to the newer format (https://doi.org/...).

DOI URL Link Builder

Example DOI: 10.1177/0886109911405492

Copy the link below into your documents.

Your new link should look something like this:

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/mtroyal.ca?url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886109911405492