Library Contacts
Jennifer Fagan-Fry
jennifer.fagan-fry@noaa.gov
Jen Devine jennifer.devine@noaa.gov
Chris Stephensen chris.stephensen@noaa.gov
A digital object identifier, or DOI, is a persistent, unique alphanumeric identifier used to identify academic, professional, and government information, such as journal articles, research reports, data sets, official publications, software, code, and more. DOIs can be assigned to any type of research output, regardless of format.
DOIs are "resolvable" meaning their metadata and the resulting URL are tied to the item it is identify--leading the user directly to where they will be able to access the item. Because of this, DOIs require regular maintenance.
It is important to remember that a DOI is NOT:
The NOAA Library automatically assigned DOIs to all NOAA publications that are submitted to the NOAA Institutional Repository (NOAA IR). NOAA authors are able to request a DOI prior to submission to the NOAA IR using our DOI Request Form. If you would like to receive a DOI for your dataset, please contact the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information's Archive.
DOIs are generally expressed as a full URL. While intended to be machine readable, the URL provides important information about the item, the publisher of the item, and where you may gain access. DOI URLs are broken down into 3 main sections; the resolver, prefix, & suffix.
Each of these portions indicates something different. The resolver indicates that the DOI is registered and will resolve to a landing page. The prefix and suffix provide more detailed information.
In some instances further semantic information may be included in the suffix including elements like journal title, date(s), author information, or even grant/funding information.
