DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) Explained
- Matthew Harp
The ASU Research Data Repository provides registered DOI’s for all published dataset records. DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) are essential to ensuring that research and scholarly materials are FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, in line with the FAIR principles. Essentially a DOI allows you to cite a resource and know the link will still direct users to the scholarly work because it will be redirected if an object is moved to a different platform or address.
What is a DOI?
DOI, “Digital Object Identifier,” is a unique, permanent, persistent link to information about an object online (such as a journal article, dataset, website, image, etc.)
Clicking on a DOI link will take you to a web page where you can find out how to access the object
If the location (URL) where the object is hosted changes over time, the DOI will stay the same, so the object can always be found
Example DOI:
Why should I care about DOIs?
DOIs are essential to ensuring that the research and scholarly materials that you create and use are FAIR, in line with the FAIR principles:
Findable - DOIs make it easier to find research and scholarly works
Accessible - DOIs ensure that works can continue to be accessed over time
Interoperable - DOIs work together with your ORCID iD to make sure you get credit for your work
Reusable - DOIs make it easier to cite and reuse research and scholarly works
How should I use DOIs?
When you are reusing or citing someone else’s work, make sure to include the DOI for the work if available (use the DOI Citation Formatter to create a DOI citation)
If an object that you created has a DOI, use it when referencing or sharing your work
How can I get a DOI for an object that I created?
You will get a draft DOI when you create a dataset in the ASU Research Data Repository
DOIs are usually assigned to objects when they are ready to be shared/published
Once your dataset has been published and made public, the DOI will be registered and begin working as a persistent link, and your dataset will have a reliable and citable URL
Remember, once a DOI is created, it is permanent!
Records in Dataverse must be approved for deaccessioning before they can be removed, and a history of their previous existence will remain
You may also have DOI in other works from other systems. Many journal publishers, repository platforms, and research organizations can assign a DOI to your work, either automatically or upon request - check with the organization you are working with to see what their publishing workflow includes.
ASU Library’s KEEP Institutional Repository also provides persistent identifiers in the form of handle identifiers on which DOI’s are based.
Example handle URL in KEEP: https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.C.163839
While functionally equivalent, KEEP handles do not go through the same registration process as the DOI system. Still, they are locally registered at ASU with the same preservation and maintenance commitments we give to works with DOIs.
What else do I need to know?
While DOIs are persistent, unique identifiers/links for objects, there is also a persistent unique identifier for researchers & contributors called ORCID (Open Researcher & Contributor Identifier). Anyone can get an ORCID iD for free, and your ORCID iD can be linked to the DOIs for your works. Visit ORCID@ASU to get started.
For more information about DOIs and other persistent identifiers, see:
Video: Persistent identifiers for researchers and research outputs
The ASU Library provides DOIs through its membership in DataCite through the Global Dataverse Community Consortium. DataCite is a DOI registration agency that assigns DOIs to works affiliated with ASU deposited and published in the ASU Research Data Repository. The Digital Archeological Record (tDAR) also provides DOIs through this membership and its partnership with the ASU Library.
This content is based on DOIs 101 for Researchers by The LYRASIS DataCite US Community.