The Digital Fingerprint: The Power of Digital Object Identifier

Abstract

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to digital objects, such as articles, books, datasets, and multimedia files, to identify and locate them on the internet. DOIs serve as permanent, persistent, and actionable links that enable reliable access, citation, and tracking of digital resources across multiple platforms, repositories, and services. DOIs also provide important metadata, such as authorship, publication date, version, and licensing information, to facilitate discovery, evaluation, and reuse of digital content. DOIs have become an essential tool for scholarly communication, data management, and publishing, as well as for various industries, including government, education, and entertainment. Despite some challenges, such as cost, governance, and interoperability, DOIs continue to evolve and expand their scope to better serve the needs of digital stakeholders.