A Digital Object Identifier, or DOI, is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to permanently identify an article or document and link to it on the web. The Scholarly Communication Department can help you mint DOIs for your work deposited in IUScholarWorks at no charge.
DOIs can be attached to nearly any digital, online research output. If something has a URL, or a specific location on the web, it can be assigned a DOI. The versatility of DOIs means they can be tied to journal articles, datasets, supplemental material and addendum; to video, audio, streaming media, and 3D objects; to theses, dissertations, technical reports, and visualizations. DOIs can also be assigned to pre-prints of articles, acknowledging that the pre-print is a different scholarly object than the final version.
Like a web address (URL), a DOI enables a research output to be discoverable and accessible. Unlike a URL though, a DOI provides a persistent, guaranteed location for an item, which is ideal for citing purposes. Because of this, online publishing and digital archiving have made them almost a necessity for scholarship and the new standard for researchers. Additionally, some alternative metrics tools are built on DOIs and allow researchers to track how many times a particular DOI has been resolved, shared on social media, or cited. This information can be invaluable for researchers’ annual reports and tenure and promotion documentation.
IU faculty, staff, and students can contact iusw@indiana.edu for further questions about DOIs and how we can mint them for items deposited in IUScholarWorks.
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