History 100 (Fall 2023, Quinn)

DOI DEFINITION

A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a unique string of numbers and letters that permanently identify the location of an article, or other work, on the web. A DOI is a permanent or persistent link. 

PRESENTED as ACTIVE or INACTIVE

When you locate an article, DOIs may or may not be listed as active links.

• Active Link Example: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2012.09.012

• Active Link Example: https://doi.org/10.1080/03057079608708478

• Non-Active Example: DOI: 10.2307/1354482 See article in JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1354482

To make a DOI active, simply add http://dx.doi.org/ before the DOI.  You can also locate the article from an non-active link by pasting the DOI into a DOI resolver.  https://dx.doi.org/

DOIs are NOT UNIVERSAL

Not all articles have a DOI.

• Example: "Nation-States in Europe and Other Continents: Diversifying, Developing, Not Dying" Mann

If there is not a DOI and you want to check if one is available, visit CrossRef.org

• Example: "Russian Colonization: The Implications of Mercantile Colonial Practices in the North Pacific" Lightfoot

*More on DOIs from the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).