VI · 40

OpenURL & DOI

DOIs identify resources; OpenURLs deliver users to a context-appropriate copy of them. The two technologies are complementary, not competing.

The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and OpenURL solve different problems. A DOI gives a resource a stable identifier that can be resolved to a default URL. An OpenURL carries a citation — possibly including a DOI — together with the context of the request, so that an institutional resolver can choose an appropriate destination. The DOI system is standardised as ISO 26324; OpenURL as ANSI/NISO Z39.88-2004. Both are in widespread use in scholarly publishing.

Carrying DOIs in OpenURLs

A DOI is carried in the rft_id parameter of an OpenURL using the info:doi/ URI form:

rft_id=info:doi/10.1103/PhysRev.47.777

The info:doi namespace is registered in the info-URI registry (the info: scheme is defined by RFC 4452) and is listed in the OpenURL Registry. It is the standard way to express a DOI inside a ContextObject. Resolvers that recognise the namespace can use the DOI as a primary lookup key; those that do not can fall back to descriptive metadata if it is also present.

The DOI proxy accepts OpenURL syntax

The DOI proxy at doi.org, operated by the International DOI Foundation, also answers at the path /openurl. When we tested it (October 2026), a request with a DOI in rft_id was redirected to the DOI's registered URL, exactly like a normal DOI link. It does not apply any institutional context. To match descriptive metadata to a DOI, use Crossref's services instead; see OpenURL & Crossref.

https://doi.org/openurl?
rft_id=info:doi/10.1103/PhysRev.47.777

How they complement

  • The DOI provides identity: this resource, however it is hosted, in whatever form.
  • The OpenURL provides context: this user, at this institution, with these subscription rights.
  • An OpenURL including a DOI is the best form for a link in a citation: it carries the identity for the resolver that recognises the DOI, and the metadata for the one that does not.

Sources