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Requesting a DOI

A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) can be created via Elements. Here is information on what a DOI is and how you can request one for your research output.

A DOI is a Digital Object Identifier. It is:

  • Unique – it uniquely identifies a specific output such as a journal article, a dataset, a book chapter, and so on.
  • Actionable – this means that it can create a web link to a record where readers can access the output or information about the output.
  • Persistent – this means that even if the actual web address of the item changes the DOI will remain the same, and anyone with the DOI can get to information about the output (it also ensures that if an output has to be removed from the web, people following the DOI will be presented with a web page confirming the output is no longer available, rather than a less informative “file not found” message).
Why might I want a DOI?

You may have outputs you wish to give a DOI. The DOI can serve several purposes, including:

  • Allowing the impact of the work to be tracked via altmetric mentions (e.g. news stories, social media mentions, citations in policies, etc.)
  • Creating a simple, standard, and permanent web link to the output, allowing others to easily and consistently find and cite your work.
  • Allowing for easier tracking of scholarly impact of the work through citations in other scholarly outputs.
What are the eligibility requirements for requesting a DOI?
  • The University Repository must be the primary source from which the item is accessed – we cannot create a DOI for outputs that are published elsewhere. This is because by creating a DOI we are committing to always knowing from where the item is available.
  • The output must be made available on an open access basis (though access can be initially embargoed if necessary); you can request a specific open access licence, or use the standard Repository Data Policy licence. 
  • The output must have at least one author who is a member of staff or postgraduate researcher of the University of Liverpool. 
  • The output must have a link to research being undertaken at the University of Liverpool. 
How do I request a DOI for my output?
  • First add a new output to your Elements profile, and record all of the metadata for it (such as title, description, authors, etc.).
  • When you come to the field called 'If you require a DOI (Digital Object Identifier)' click yes. Further guidance will then appear on screen.
  • When you click the link in the guidance, it will open a pre-formatted DOI request email. Add the name of your output to this template, then send the email to the Open Access team. Save the record you are creating without uploading a file.
  • The Open Access team will create a DOI and email it to you. Wherever possible, you should then include the DOI in the file for the output – usually on the title page or last page for textual documents. If it is inappropriate or not possible to include the DOI in the file, you can leave it out.
  • Reply by email to the open access team and send them your finalised output file.
  • The team will then deposit your file and register the DOI with DataCite, our DOI registry service. They will email you to confirm once this is complete. Please note it can take 24-48 hours after a DOI is registered for DataCite to make it live.
Do any output types automatically get a DOI from the library?

Yes. The following item types are automatically issued with a DOI once they are deposited to the Repository or Data Catalogue:

  • Datasets
  • PhD theses