A DOI is a unique and persistent digital identifier used to locate scientific articles and other academic documents in a stable way.

How do I validate a DOI?

You can validate a DOI by entering it into this tool, which queries sources such as Crossref, Unpaywall, and OpenAlex to retrieve metadata and verify availability.

What information does a DOI provide?

A DOI can lead to information such as title, authors, journal, publication date, references, publisher, open access status, and citations recorded in OpenAlex.

Does a DOI guarantee full-text access?

Not always. A DOI persistently identifies the document, but full-text access depends on whether the article is open or restricted.

What is the difference between a DOI and a URL?

A URL indicates where a resource is located on the web, while a DOI is a persistent identifier designed to keep access stable even if the resource location changes.

DOI Validator

Validate DOIs, generate APA citations and explore academic metadata.

Retrieve metadata, APA citation, references, open access status, and author identifiers instantly.

What is a DOI?

A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a unique and persistent identifier used in academic publishing to locate scientific articles and other digital documents in a stable way. Unlike a regular URL, a DOI is designed to remain valid over time even if the resource changes location.

A DOI usually has a structure like this: 10.1038/nphys1170

How to cite a DOI in APA 7

In APA 7, DOIs should be presented as full and active links, using the format: https://doi.org/...

Example: Smith, R. (2024). Bibliometric analysis in Latin America. Journal of Scientometrics, 12(3), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Common DOI errors

Entering an incomplete DOI.
Leaving extra spaces when copying it.
Confusing the DOI with the article URL.
Using the old “doi:” format instead of a full DOI link.

DOI vs URL

A URL indicates the location of a resource on the web, while a DOI is a persistent identifier. If an article changes server or platform, the URL may stop working, but the DOI should continue resolving correctly to its new location.

How to validate a DOI correctly

To validate a DOI, simply enter it into this tool. The system consults recognized sources such as Crossref, Unpaywall, and OpenAlex to retrieve metadata, verify whether the identifier exists, detect whether the content is openly accessible, and display useful bibliographic signals.

This is useful for editors, authors, librarians, reviewers, and journal teams who need to quickly verify the quality and consistency of a reference.

Explore more about editorial management

You can see a real OJS implementation in our OJS 3.5 demo .

Need help with DOI or your journal?

If you have problems with DOI, Crossref, or OJS, or need support with metadata and editorial management, contact us here .