DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to a digital object - most commonly a research paper, conference proceedings, journal article, dataset, thesis, or report - to provide a permanent and reliable link to its location on the internet.
Importance
1. Credibility & Authenticity: Presence of DOI indicates that the work is formally published and recognised in academic databases.
2. Cross-Referencing: DOIs enable seamless linking between articles, datasets, and citations in reference lists.
3. Metadata Management: DOI systems store detailed metadata (author, title, journal, conference title, year, etc.) improving discoverability.
4. Research Impact Tracking: Helps in tracking citations, usage statistics, and altmetrics across platforms.
5. Easy Citation & Retrieval: Researchers and databases can easily locate and cite digital content accurately.
6. Permanent Link: Unlike normal URLs, a DOI remains valid even if the webpage moves or changes.
