Digital Object Identifier facts for kids

A Digital Object Identifier (or DOI) is like a unique digital fingerprint for online documents. It helps people find specific articles, books, or papers on the internet, no matter where they are stored. Think of it as a permanent address for a digital item.

What is a Digital Object Identifier?

A DOI is a special code that gives a unique identity to digital things. These can be scientific papers, articles, or even videos. The main idea is that this code stays the same forever. It doesn't matter if the website where the document is stored changes its address. The DOI always points to the right place.

How Does a DOI Work?

When you use a DOI, it's like asking a special system to find a document for you. This system is called the DOI resolution system. You give it the DOI, and it tells you exactly where to find the document online. If the document moves to a new website, the system is updated. This means the DOI still works, even if the web address changes.

For example, the DOI 10.1016/j.iheduc.2008.04.001 leads to a paper titled "Web 2.0 authorship: Issues of Referencing and citation for academic integrity." This paper was written by Kathleen Gray and others. It was published in a journal called The Internet and Higher Education in 2008. The DOI makes it easy to find this exact paper online.