Definition
A DOI (digital object identifier) is a unique number used to permanently identify online articles, documents, and other objects -- including journal articles in electronic databases, datasets, audio/video content, ebooks, and research reports.
Because the DOI is permanent, this is a more reliable way to tell your reader where you found the article than location information like a URL or a database name, which may change over time or be hidden behind a proxy server.
A DOI is made up of a string of numbers, letters, and symbols, e.g.:
- DOI: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000002295
- doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2010.10.001
- 10.1093/jahist/jay280
Find an article, dataset, or other object from a DOI
You can use a DOI resolver to track down known articles for which you have a DOI number. Just copy and paste the DOI to be directed to the article.