How can I obtain a DOI for my research paper?

How to Obtain a DOI for Your Research Paper

A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) ensures that your research paper has a permanent, citable, and accessible link, making it easier for other researchers to find and reference your work. There are several ways to obtain a DOI, depending on whether your paper is published in a journal, deposited in a repository, or remains unpublished.

1. Obtaining a DOI Through a Publisher

If your research paper is published in an academic journal, the journal automatically assigns a DOI upon publication. The process typically follows these steps:

• Submit your manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal.
• Once accepted, the journal registers your article’s DOI with a DOI registration agency (e.g., Crossref, DataCite, or mEDRA).
• The DOI is linked to your article’s official webpage and metadata, ensuring proper citation and indexing in databases like Google Scholar and Scopus.
• Journals using platforms like Scholar9 and OJSCloud streamline DOI registration, making it easier for authors to get their research recognized.

2. Obtaining a DOI for Unpublished or Preprint Research

If your research is unpublished or a preprint, you can still obtain a DOI by depositing it in a repository that assigns DOIs. Some options include:

• Preprint servers (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv, SSRN) assign DOIs to research papers before formal publication.
• Institutional repositories linked to DataCite can provide DOIs for theses, working papers, and reports.
• Open-access repositories like Zenodo and Figshare issue DOIs for preprints, datasets, and grey literature.

3. Obtaining a DOI Independently

If you are not publishing in a journal or depositing in a repository, you can register a DOI independently through a DOI registration agency. However, this typically requires:

• Membership with a DOI provider (e.g., Crossref or DataCite), which may involve fees.
• Proper metadata submission, including the title, author details, abstract, and file format.
• A persistent URL, ensuring that the DOI remains resolvable over time.

Platforms like Scholar9 and OJSCloud offer affordable DOI registration services, allowing individual researchers, institutions, and journals to obtain DOIs without direct membership in DOI agencies.

Conclusion

The easiest way to obtain a DOI is through a journal publisher, preprint server, or research repository. If publishing independently, services like Scholar9 and OJSCloud provide efficient DOI registration, ensuring long-term accessibility and proper indexing of research papers.