General Requirements for Crossref DOIs

This document outlines the general requirements and expectations that apply to any DOI registered through Crossref, regardless of content type or application. It is meant to complement Conventions for Structuring DOIs (which covers our naming conventions) and Minting DOIs in Crossref (which covers Crossref workflows) by focusing on the underlying obligations we take on as a DOI registrant.

Persistence

A DOI is a promise that the identifier will always resolve, even if the underlying content moves.

  • The DOI itself must never change once assigned, even if the title, URL, or hosting platform changes.

  • If the content’s location changes, we are responsible for updating the DOI’s target URL in Crossref so the DOI continues to resolve correctly.

  • DOIs should not be deleted or reassigned to different content.

Permanence

Once minted and deposited, a DOI is intended to be a permanent identifier for that specific work.

  • Do not mint a DOI for content that is not intended to be retained long-term.

  • Do not reuse a DOI for a different or substantially revised work; if a new version is needed, consider minting a new DOI and linking the two (see Crossref’s guidance on relationships between DOIs).

  • Withdrawn or retracted content should still resolve, but with updated metadata reflecting its status (see the Pending Publications withdrawal guidance in Minting DOIs in Crossref).

Uniqueness

  • Each DOI must be unique and must not duplicate a DOI already registered by us or another Crossref member.

  • Follow the naming conventions in Conventions for Structuring DOIs to avoid collisions with reserved patterns (e.g., OJS journal slugs, the odp. namespace, ppub-ext- prefixes).

Minimum Required Metadata

Crossref requires a baseline level of metadata at the time of deposit. At minimum, this generally includes:

  • Title

  • Contributor(s)/author(s)

  • A resolvable URL (the “resource” the DOI points to)

  • Publication or acceptance date, as applicable

Responsibility for Maintenance

Registering a DOI with Crossref is an ongoing commitment, not a one-time action.

  • We are responsible for keeping metadata accurate and up to date.

  • We are responsible for maintaining the resolution target for the life of the DOI.

For these reasons, we generally do not create DOIs for any platforms where we do not have control. Instead, where permissions allow, we make a duplicate of that resource (post-print) and preserve it in OAKTrust or another platform and point the DOI at that resource.

References