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DOI For Digital Assets

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIERS FOR RESEARCH DIGITAL ASSETS

What
​A Digital Object Identifier or DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that allows for a persistent link to the object's location on the Internet. The International DOI Foundation is the registry authority with numerous registration agencies that can mint (create) a DOI. Many publishers will assign a DOI to a journal article or a book and the DOI can be used as part of the citation in other publications or bibliographies. Citation formats can vary, and depend on the selected format of the journal or publisher. Check with the journal or publisher you are submitting as to how to correctly format a DOI citation. 
 

Citation Examples

APA format
Smith, A. B., & Doe, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number, page range. doi:0000000/000000000000 or http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/0000

AMA/JAMA format
Smith AA, Doe BB. Title of article. Name of Jrnl. Year;vol(issue):inclusive pages. doi:10.0000000/000000000000


Who
The University of Oklahoma Libraries (UL) uses CrossRef as its DOI registrar for use in minting DOIs. Starting early in 2016, UL ran a pilot program for minting DOIs for selected research and observation digital assets (datasets) not hosted or maintained by UL. The research digital asset can be made up of any digital format that is part of the scholarly output from research. This can take the format of a traditional numerical dataset, a collection of photos or website, or even a scholarly blog. This pilot proved successful, and the UL is now providing researchers the ability to have DOIs minted for their own hosted digital assets. Researchers are responsible for curation of their digital assets. The researcher is required to keep the UL informed as to the status of their hosted digital assets and will need to notify the UL when changes occur to the server hosting the content. 

DOI requests can be made through consultation by contacting the research data specialist. After evaluation and approval, DOIs will be minted. UL will cover the cost of the first five DOIs, after which the costs will need to be covered by the requesting researcher or department at a cost of $1.00/DOI. Updates and corrections for a DOI are made at no charge. 

Why

  • DOIs enable accurate data citation
  • DOIs assist in the tracking of metrics and alt-metrics
  • DOIs allow for resolvable links to data which help with discovery, attribution, and reuse

Researcher DOIs Minted by University Libraries