Digital Object Identifier
A DOI is a unique and persistent identifier assigned to a digital or intellectual object, such as a research article, dataset, book, report, image or software package.
Unlike a URL, which indicates the current location of a resource, a DOI identifies the resource itself in a stable way. If the resource moves to a new address, the DOI remains unchanged and the responsible organisation updates its destination link.
A DOI usually has a structure such as:
10.5281/zenodo.1234567
When expressed as a web link, it is written as:
The DOI system operates on an infrastructure for persistent identifiers known as the Handle System. Registration agencies such as DataCite and Crossref manage DOI registration and the associated metadata.
In the context of FAIR data, a DOI mainly helps make resources findable and citable, although having a DOI does not, by itself, make a resource fully FAIR.
Related terms: persistent identifier, PID, metadata, DataCite, Crossref, Handle System, FAIR, data citation.
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