DOIstyle

DOIstyle is a term used to describe the set of conventions for presenting Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) within scholarly references. It reflects the practical need for consistency in how DOIs are included in citations and bibliographies, helping readers locate sources and enabling reliable metadata exchange. DOIs are intended to be persistent links to digital items, and DOIstyle practices aim to make their inclusion clear and machine-readable across publication venues.

Common features of DOIstyle include the placement of the DOI alongside each reference, and the choice between formatting the DOI as a plain string (beginning with 10.), a prefixed form such as doi:10.xxxx/xxxx, or a full resolvable URL like https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx. Many publishers favor the URL form because it provides an immediate, clickable link, while others prefer the compact doi: form for printed or metadata contexts. Variation also exists in punctuation, capitalization, and whether the DOI appears only in the reference list or also inside the body text.

DOIstyle is not a single official standard; rather, it consolidates practices that evolve with major citation styles and publisher requirements. The DOI system was created by the International DOI Foundation in the late 1990s and is administered through registration agencies such as Crossref and DataCite, which influence how DOIs are captured in metadata. Critics note the ongoing need to maintain accurate DOIs to prevent link rot and to ensure compatibility with evolving resolver infrastructure.

In practice, authors and editors align DOIstyle with their chosen citation style guide or with venue-specific instructions, aiming for clear, consistent, and dereferenceable references.