Q. What is a DOI, and how do I use it?

What is a DOI?

"A digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique identifier associated with an object, such as an electronic document.

A publisher might assign a journal article a DOI when it is published online; however, DOIs may be assigned to more than just articles. [Other examples of objects which sometimes have DOIs include images, data and data sets, books, and book chapters.] The benefit of a DOI is it is a persistent identifier that is available and managed over time; this means it will not change if the item or object is moved or renamed (From EZID)."

"All DOI numbers begin with a 10 and contain a prefix and a suffix separated by a slash. The prefix is a unique number of four or more digits assigned to organizations; the suffix is assigned by the publisher and was designed to be flexible with publisher identification standards." (From APA)

If you need help finding the electronic location of a DOI article, you can type the reference into the DOI resolver at https://www.doi.org/​

DOIs and APA citation

"Include a DOI for all works that have a DOI, regardless of whether you used the online version or the print version." See the APA style guidelines for more about information about how to use DOIs and URLs in APA citations. 

CrossRef, a major DOI publisher, recently updated their recommendations for DOI citations. The recommended format is now: https://doi.org/10.1037/arc0000014

Here is how that looks in an APA Style reference:

Although the preferred style is listed above, older DOI formats are still acceptable in APA. For example:

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/arc0000014
• doi:10.1037/arc0000014

For more information visit the APA style guidelines or Sections 9.34 to 9.36 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition.