DOIs for research outputs

Persistent identifiers, such as the DOI, enable (online) references to work even when the location of the referenced object changes. The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is used for objects like publications and data. Using a DOI makes it easy to cite and reference persistently.

The importance of persistent identifiers

Web resources always have a web address or URL. This URL can be used to refer to the resource. However, the address of objects may change when the name of the server or the filename changes. Any references to the resource no longer resolve (i.e. take you to the intended location).

A persistent identifier (PID) is an identifier that does not change, even if the URL of an object changes. That makes PIDs more suitable for referencing web resources than non-persistent identifiers. When a PID is dereferenced (i.e. looked up), it resolves to the current URL of the object.

DOIs for articles and other research outputs

Academic publishers have long used DOIs as a persistent identifier for articles, book chapters, conference papers and more. DOIs are being assigned to more and more types of research outputs and objects, like datasets, blog posts, projects and scientific instruments. Registering these outputs provides insight into what researchers and support staff produce; assigning persistent identifiers helps make the results findable long-term.

Assigning a PID and registering the URL for the object is the responsibility of the organisation providing access to the objects (articles, datasets, etc.). These are organisations like publishers and data archives, as well as university libraries with a publication repository.

Registering DOIs through the UBL

In 2024, Leiden University Libraries (UBL) joined the DataCite Netherlands consortium, so that the UBL can assign DOIs to publications in Scholarly Publications and datasets stored in university systems.