Skip to Main Content Picture of books

Citation Styles: What is a DOI???

Information on standard citation styles such as MLA and APA, as well as specialized citation formats by discipline

What is a DOI

The term DOI stands for "Digital Object Identifier." 

The DOI, when available, serves as a permanent link to the article.  It is usually found on the landing page of the article in a database, or on the first page of a print article.

MLA, APA, and other citation formats require the use of a DOI when it is available.

Most, but not all, scholarly/peer reviewed articles have a DOI.  Here is an example of where to find the DOI listed on the landing page of an article from a database.