DOIs and ISBNs

Persistent identifiers

A Persistent Identifier (PID) is a unique code consisting of a string of letters and numbers used to identify objects, people, or concepts. Examples include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs). Researchers can also have a persistent identifier, such as an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID).

DOIs

DOIs are persistent unique digital identifiers assigned to objects, such as research outputs like publications or datasets. A DOI is permanent and cannot be removed, but you can remove the public right to access the resource.

• A DOI provides a persistent link to your work, even if its location on the internet changes over time. This helps others to locate and cite your work.
• Digital tools like Altmetric Explorer use DOIs and other persistent identifiers to track research outputs and see how often they have been accessed, cited, or discussed.
• You can use a DOI to manage your work in various scholarly systems (e.g. populating your ORCID profile and importing your record into the ARC’s Research Data Management System).
• DOIs are exclusively issued by registered agencies, and you need to comply with the agency’s requirements to get a DOI for your work. It is not possible to self-register a DOI for an item made available only on your own website.
• The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) is able to mint DOIs for Australian research data.
• Publishers often assign a DOI to books, scholarly articles and datasets when they are published and made available electronically.

Getting a DOI

The University of Sydney Library can provide DOIs for some non-published materials.

• Sydney eScholarship repository - An open repository that provides global access to University of Sydney research. Guidelines for DOI criteria can be found here.

Some other repositories can also provide DOIs, including:

• Zenodo - An open repository with free uploads up to 50GB. All uploaded work is eligible for a DOI.

• Figshare - An open repository with free uploads up to 5GB. All uploaded work is eligible for a DOI.

• F1000 Research - An open research publishing platform for researchers in all subject areas. All uploaded slides and posters are eligible for a DOI.

• Open Science Framework - A free open platform for research collaboration and sharing. Public research is eligible for a DOI.
• ResearchGate - An open source of free scholarly articles. DOIs can be generated for eligible uploads.
• LabArchives eNotebooks - An Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) for safely storing research data. If you use a LabArchives eNotebook, you can make it available to the public by creating a DOI through the LabArchives system. 

ISBNs

ISBNs are persistent identifiers for books. They are used internationally across the book trade and library sector.

An ISBN:

• is internationally applied and recognised
• is required by most retailers
• improves the likelihood your book will be found and purchased
• links to essential information about your book
• enables more efficient marketing and distribution of your book
• helps you collect and analyse book sales data.

An ISBN is not mandatory and does not provide copyright on a work. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.