Glossary
DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
A permanent ID for a scholarly work, such as an article, book chapter or dataset, that keeps pointing to it even if its web address changes.
Every DOI starts with 10., followed by a number for the organization that registered it, a slash, and a code for the work itself.
Putting https://doi.org/ in front of a DOI turns it into a link that always takes readers to the work. APA and MLA both ask you to write DOIs this way, and older forms like “doi:10.1037/…” should be updated. IEEE references still use “doi: 10.xxxx/…”. Capital letters in a DOI don’t matter.
PaperCitation uses DOIs to look up references exactly. If a DOI in your list is wrong or points to a different paper, we’ll tell you.
Official sources
We paraphrase official guidance and link to it. When in doubt, follow the source and your instructor.