APO’s DOI minting service has quietly been around for more than a year now. I spoke to APO Editor Tim McCarthy about what DOIs are and what benefits they offer.
Emily: So Tim, can you explain what a DOI is, in a nutshell?
Tim: A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique alphanumeric string used to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet. You may have noticed that journals use a DOI link for electronically published articles.
Emily: Yes, I’ve noticed that. So why is APO minting DOIs if journals are already doing that?
Tim: DOIs are also becoming more common in publication metadata on government publications and grey literature. That’s basically where APO saw a need in the publishing landscape for minting DOIs.
Emily: What are the benefits of having a DOI?
Tim: Assigning a DOI to a resource adds a level of metadata to the publication that makes it easier to link to or share. The permanency of the link also makes it a more desirable inclusion in a citation. So it not only benefits authors and publishers, but digital libraries and researchers using publication citations as well.
Emily: Are there any special requirements for getting a DOI minted by APO?
Tim: APO can mint DOIs for certain publications. To be eligible, an author or publisher must be the copyright holder of a published, or soon-to-be published, resource and have the authority to grant APO permission to hold a full-text copy of the publication. It should be noted that only one DOI can be assigned per publication – DOI double dipping isn’t allowed as the identifier must be unique.
Emily: If an author or publisher would like a DOI minted by APO for their publication, what should they do?
Tim: They should send their DOI enquiry to APO at doi@apo.org.au and someone in our friendly editorial team will get the process started.
Emily: Cheers Tim. It’s great that APO is offering this service.
Tim: No worries. If people want to know more about the DOI system in general and how it works, the International DOI Foundation has plenty of resources on its website.
For all enquiries about APO’s DOI minting service, please email doi@apo.org.au.
