Why do journals need DOIs?

DOIs make articles permanently citable and discoverable. Without a DOI, a broken URL makes the article unreachable. DOIs are required by most indexing databases and funding bodies for proper citation tracking.

CrossRef is the primary DOI registration agency for academic journals. Journals apply to CrossRef, pay an annual membership fee, and then register DOIs for each published article through CrossRef's metadata submission API.

How much does a DOI cost?

CrossRef charges journals an annual membership fee (starting around $275/year for small publishers) plus a per-DOI fee (typically $1 per DOI). ScholarJMS handles CrossRef DOI registration on behalf of journals as part of the platform.

What is a DOI prefix and suffix?

A DOI has two parts separated by a slash. The prefix (e.g., 10.12345) identifies the publisher and is assigned by CrossRef. The suffix is chosen by the journal to identify the specific article (e.g., 10.12345/journal.v1i1.100).

What Is a DOI? | ScholarJMS Knowledge Base

Definition

A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent, unique identifier assigned to a digital academic object — most commonly a journal article, but also datasets, books, conference papers, and software. A DOI takes the form 10.prefix/suffix and always resolves to the published content through the DOI.org resolver, even if the article moves to a different URL.

DOIs are the standard citation identifier in academic publishing. When you see a reference like doi:10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.001 in a paper, that DOI will resolve to the article no matter how many times the publisher's website changes.

How DOIs Work

DOIs are maintained by the International DOI Foundation (IDF) and registered through agencies like CrossRef, DataCite, and mEDRA.

When a journal registers a DOI:

1. The publisher submits article metadata (title, authors, abstract, publication date, ISSN) to CrossRef

2. CrossRef creates a record linking the DOI to the article's URL

3. The DOI is printed on the article and in citation databases

4. When someone clicks https://doi.org/10.xxxxx/yyy, CrossRef's resolver redirects them to the current URL

5. If the URL changes, the publisher updates the redirect — the DOI never changes

DOI Requirements for Indexing

Most major indexing databases require or strongly prefer DOIs:

•CrossRef metadata — Required for Crossmark integration and citation tracking

What Is a DOI?

Definition

How DOIs Work

DOI Requirements for Indexing

Frequently Asked Questions

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