Commonly Cited Sources: Finding DOIs for Journal Article Reference Entries

Last update 3/18/2020 

 

Visual: Screen opens to a background image with a person typing on a laptop and a notebook and pencil, along with the Walden University Writing Center logo. The title Walden University Writing Center and tagline “Your writing, grammar, and APA experts” appears on the screen. The screen changes to show the series title “Commonly Cited Sources” and the video title “Finding DOIs.” 

Audio: Guitar music 

 

Visual: Slide changes to the title “Finding DOIs for Journal Article Reference Entries” and the following: 

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the article: In sentence case. Title of the Journal, volume(issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx 

  • www.crossref.org/gestquery  

Audio: An important part of correctly creating a journal article reference entry is including a DOI number if one is available for the article. In this video, we’ll focus on this last part of a journal article’s reference entry—the DOI. We’ll discuss how to find and include a DOI, how to check for a DOI from crossref.org, and what to do if an article does not have a DOI. 

Remember, the DOI appears at the end of an article’s reference entry. Be sure to watch our other journal article video if you’d like more information about the other sections of an article’s reference entry. 

 

Visual: Slide changes to the following: 

DOI: Digital Object Identifier 

  • Unique number assigned to articles 

  • Preferred information 

  • Often listed as a number: 10.1525/cmr.2016.58.3.66 

  • Presented in a reference entry as a URL: https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2016.58.3.66 

Audio: DOI stands for “digital object identifier”, and it’s a unique number publishers assign to articles. Not all articles have DOI numbers since it’s an element that was first introduced in 2000. Over the last 20 years, it has become more and more popular, and most publishers now assign their journal articles a DOI number. DOI numbers are very useful because they direct a reader to the exact article you are referencing, which is why it is also the information APA prefers authors include in an article’s reference entry, if one exists.  

DOI numbers are often presented as a number, but they should be included in the reference entry as a URL. To create a URL version of a DOI number, simply add “https://doi.org/” before the number. 

 

Visual: Slide changes to the following text and screenshots from an article showing the DOI number for the article: 

  • Find in the article itself or in the Library database 

Audio: To find the DOI for an article, first check the article itself or the Library database where you accessed the article. Sometimes the DOI will be listed with the other publication information for the article. Similarly, sometimes the DOI will be listed on the article’s header or footer.  

 

Visual: Slide changes to the following text and screenshots of the crossref.org website’s DOI search box: 

Audio: However, if you don’t find the DOI in any of these places, you’re not done yet. The article still might have a DOI, but it’s simply not listed. To check, visit www.crossref.org/guestquery, where you can look up your article to see if it has a DOI. To do so, fill in at least the first author’s last name and the article’s title in the search box.  

 

Visual: Slide changes to the following text: If no DOI number exists: From most academic databases, you’ll simply end the reference entry after the page range, omitting the electronic retrieval information. 

Audio: If you have searched for the DOI and still can’t find it—even after searching on crossref.org—then, and only then, do you move to option 2, which is that for most academic databases, you’ll simply end the reference entry after the page range, omitting the electronic retrieval information. 

 

Visual: The screen changes to displaying the following bullets as the speaker discusses them: 

  • Always check to see if a DOI exists 

  • Watch the other journal article reference entries video 

  • Ask if you have questions! 

Audio: Now you’re ready to find a DOI for your journal article reference entries. As a reminder, always check to see if a DOI exists; watch our other journal article videos for more information; and ask if you have questions—we’re happy to help! 

 

Visual: The screen changes to an ending slide a background image with a person typing on a laptop and a notebook and pencil, along with the Walden University Writing Center logo. The email address writingsupport@mail.waldenu.edu appears on the screen.