Q. What is a DOI and where can I find it?

A DOI is also called a digital object identifier. It’s a number used to identify specific online articles, much like an ISBN for books. However, not all articles have a DOI number. If an article does have a DOI, it will be listed on the webpage that displays all of the bibliographic information for the article, usually called the Detailed Record page or the Abstract/Details page. It’s also usually listed within the article PDF.

DOIs can be listed as numbers like this: 10.1111/j.1540-6385.2010.00589.x

Or as a URL like this: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6385.2010.00589.x

If you cannot find a DOI on the article, this typically means it does not have one. You can also use Crossref to find the DOI by searching the article title.

If you have questions about how to write a citation with or without a DOI included, you'll want to visit the Writing Center for assistance and resources.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to us at (434) 582-2220 or at research@liberty.edu.