How to Quickly Find DOIs for Your Research Papers and Books

Never struggle to locate DOIs again. Simplify your research citations today!

Ever tried citing a source only to realize there’s no DOI in sight? You’re not alone. DOIs, short for Digital Object Identifiers, are essential for accurate academic referencing and easy access to research materials.

But they’re not always obvious or easy to find. This guide walks you through practical, no-stress ways to locate DOIs for journal articles, books, and other scholarly sources, whether you’re deep in a database or holding a printed copy.

Check the Article or Book

One of the easiest ways to find a DOI is to check the source. Most academic articles include it near the top or bottom of the first page, usually around the copyright info or under the article title.

In books or eBooks, it might show up in the front matter or near the citation details. If you’re viewing a PDF, scan the header or footer; it’s often right there.

Example format:
10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2

Use Academic Databases

If the DOI isn’t printed on the article, your next best bet is an academic database. Most platforms display it right in the citation details.

Google Scholar: Click the quote icon under the article to preview the citation.
PubMed: The DOI appears in the metadata near the abstract.
JSTOR / ScienceDirect: Look under the article title or in the “Cite” options.

Every database has its own layout, but if you know where to look, the DOI is usually just a click away.

Search via Crossref

When in doubt, run a search through Crossref.org, the official DOI registration agency for scholarly publishing.

Steps:

Head over to search.crossref.org
Plug in the article title, author name, or journal
Scroll the results until you find a match

It’s especially helpful when your citation details are solid, but the DOI is missing.

Consider Publication Date

Not all sources will have a DOI, especially if they were published before the early 2000s. That’s when DOI assignment became standard.

If you’re working with older journal articles or books, you might not find one—and that’s okay.

In that case:

Use the ISBN for books
Stick with traditional citations using publication details
Try citation managers that autofill as much info as possible

Contact Publishers or Authors

Can’t find the DOI anywhere? Time to go straight to the source.

Email the journal publisher or the author, most are happy to help and can confirm whether a DOI exists.

Here’s a quick email you can send:

“Hi [Author Name],

I’m currently citing your work, “[Article Title],” but couldn’t locate the DOI. Would you be able to share it with me?
Thanks so much!”

It’s a simple move that can save you a headache.

Use DOI Lookup Tools

There are plenty of free tools that make DOI searching fast and easy:

DOI.org – The official DOI resolver
OpenAlex – Useful for tracking down research metadata
ResearchGate – Sometimes includes DOIs in author-uploaded PDFs

These platforms are solid backups when databases or publisher sites don’t turn up what you need.

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Locating a DOI doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you're using academic databases, checking the article directly, or searching through Crossref, the right method saves you time and keeps your citations clean.

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