Digital Object Identifier
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a standard for persistently
identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network. DOIs
were first used to identify journal articles, but they can be used to
identify any type of intellectual property, e.g. journals, books, images,
audio, video, software, etc.
What it is
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying
a piece of intellectual property on a digital network. DOIs were first used
to identify journal articles, but they can be used to identify any type of
intellectual property, e.g. journals, books, images, audio, video,
software, etc. DOIs can apply at any level of granularity. In the case of a
journal, a DOI could identify the journal, an issue, an article within an
issue, or content within an article, e.g. a figure or table.
A key feature of DOIs is that they are persistent and don't change over
time. A DOI is assigned once and will always apply to the item wherever it
is physically located. DOIs are therefore unlike URLs, which can easily
change if a web site is moved or restructured.
How it Works
The DOI system has two main parts - the identifier assigned to an item, and
the directory used to resolve its location.
The identifier has two parts. The prefix (e.g. 10.1000)
identifies the publisher and the suffix identifies the individual item. An
ISSN or ISBN may be used as part of the suffix.
The directory is a central database of DOIs and their
current web addresses. When the user clicks on a DOI, the directory
'resolves' the location and sends the current address back to the
user. This enables DOIs to be persistent. If the item is moved to a new
server or changes ownership, the publisher updates the web address
accordingly.
DOIs are an application of the CNRI Handle System, a generic system for
assigning identifeirs to objects on networks. All DOI prefixes begin with
'10' to distinguish them from other types of handles.
The Standard
The DOI system is managed by the International DOI Foundation, an open
membership consortium including both commercial and non-commercial
partners, and has recently been accepted for standardisation within ISO.
All documentation on the standard can be found on the DOI web site.
Further Information