DOIs (Digital Object Identifier)

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) makes your work easier to find by users across the web. Remember to include the DOI whenever you mention your work—in a paper, at a conference, on a poster, or in a tweet.

Pointing your DOI to a stable web page is key. Depositing your scholarly work in the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR) guarantees you a persistent URL (PURL) that will never change and a DOI that always works.

Interested in getting a DOI for your work? 

We can help you get a DOI in two ways:

Who is eligible 

Current faculty, students, and staff of Stanford University.

What to expect

  • For scholarly works appropriate for the SDR: Make a deposit and select the option to get a DOI. You can have your DOI in under fifteen minutes!
  • For other Stanford-hosted resources: Request a DOI from us.
    • You will need to provide a web page describing just this resource and providing access to it (e.g. file download).
    • You should have a plan to ensure that this web link will remain stable for a very long time.
    • You will need to provide us with specific metadata about the resource.
    • We will create the DOI (allow one week minimum for these requests to be filled).
  • For large batches of content:  Let's chat about the available options and best approach. 

Subscription service

Sign up to become a client of our DOI service to register your own DOIs. Subscription benefits include:

  • Access to the DataCite DOI application programming interface (API) for system integration plus technical support and extensive documentation
  • Up to 1,999 DOIs per year (subject to change annually)
  • Secure access to DataCite’s administrative platform for managing users, registering a DOI on demand, and viewing reports and statistics
  • Listing in the DataCite public directory of repositories

Common questions 

  • Ready to deposit into the SDR and get a DOI? Use our quick form to request access to the web app.
  • Need a DOI urgently to meet a funder or publisher requirement? Self-deposit in the SDR allows you to reserve a DOI upfront and then finish depositing your work later.
  • Want a DOI for a previous SDR deposit? Edit your work and select the option to get a DOI, then redeposit. Done!
  • Interested in using the API with your own system to create DOIs? Ask us (doi-contact@lists.stanford.edu) about becoming a client of our DOI service for a small annual subscription fee so you can generate your own DataCite DOIs.

Other questions? 

Reach out to the DOI team via email (doi-contact@lists.stanford.edu) with any questions you might have about getting and using a DOI.