What is a DOI? Strengths, Limitations & Components
Apr 26, 2024 |
7 Mins Read
DOI is short for Digital Object Identifier. It is a unique alphanumeric sequence assigned to digital objects, it is used to identify intellectual property on the internet. DOI’s are usually assigned to scholarly articles, datasets, books, videos and even pieces of software.
Understanding DOI's
The digital object identifier is a unique number made up of a prefix and suffix, segregated by a forward slash.
For example: 10.1000/182
The sequence always begins with a 10. The prefix is a unique 4 or more digit number assigned to establishments and the suffix is assigned by publisher as it is designed to be flexible with publisher identification standards.
Where can I find a DOI?
In most scholarly articles, the DOI should be on the cover page. If the DOI isn't included in the article, you may search for it on CrossRef.org by using the "Search Metadata" function.
How can I use the digital object identifier to find the article it refers to?
- If the DOI starts with http:// or https://, pasting it on your web browder will help you locate the article.
- You can turn any DOI starting with 10 into a URL by adding http://doi.org/ before the DOI. For example, 10.3352/jeehp.2013.10.3 becomes https://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2013.10.3
- If you're off campus when you do this, you'll need to use this URL prefix in front of the DOI to gain access to UIC's full text journal subscriptions: https://proxy.cc.uic.edu/login?url=https://doi.org/ . For example: https://proxy.cc.uic.edu/login?url=http://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2013.10.3
Strengths of Digital Object Identifier
- Permanent identification: Digital object identifier provides a permanent link to digital content, making sure it remains accessible even if URL or metadata is updated.
- Citations: It uniquely identifies research papers, which facilitates accurate referencing and citing.
- Interoperability: DOIs are widely recognized as they can be utilised across different platforms, databases and systems.
- Tracking and metrics: DOIs provide key information like publication date, authors, keywords and more. This can be used to track usage metrics, measuring impact and improving discoverability
- Integration with services: DOIs are integrated with various tools like reference managers, academic search engines, and digital libraries. These mediums enhance the visibility and accessibility of research material with DOIs.
Limitations of Digital Object Identifier
- Cost: Digital object identifiers are costly for smaller organisations or individual researchers. While some services offer free digital object identifier registration for certain content, there may be fees associated with others, particularly for maintenance and updates.
- Accessibility: There may still be barriers to access for individual researchers or organisations in regions with limited resources. Ensuring equitable access to digital object identifier services and content remains a challenge.
- Content Preservation: While the sequence provide persistent links to digital content, they do not guarantee the preservation or long-term accessibility of that content. Ensuring the preservation of digital objects linked to DOIs require additional efforts and infrastructure beyond the system itself.
- Granularity: Sequences are assigned to individual digital objects, such as articles, datasets, or books. However, there may be cases where more granular identification is required, such as specific sections within a larger work or versions of a dataset. Addressing these granularity issues within the digital object identifier system can be complex.
Conduct your research on Zendy today
Now that you’ve gained a better understanding of how DOI works and impacts the world of research, you may begin your search and find your next academic discovery on Zendy! Our advanced search allows you to input DOI, ISSN, ISBN, publication, author, date, keyword and title. Give it a go on Zendy now.
Qualitative VS. Quantitative Research: How To Use Appropriately and Depict Research Results
What is qualitative and quantitative research? Before a researcher begins their research, they would need to establish whether their research results will be quantitative or qualitative. Qualitative research observes any subjective matter that can’t be measured with numbers or units, usually answering the questions “how” or “why”. This type of data is usually derived from exploratory sources like, journal entries, semi-structured interviews, videos, and photographs. On the other hand, quantitative research is numeric and objective, which usually answers the questions “when” or “where”. This data is derived from controlled environments like surveys, structured interviews, and traditional experimental designs. Quantitative data is meant to find objective information. What are the main differences between qualitative and quantitative research? The main factor of differentiation between qualitative and quantitative data are the sources that the data is gathered from, as this effects the format of the results. Sources of Qualitative DataSources of Quantitative DataParticipants’ recollection of eventsPolls, surveys and experimentsFocus groupsDatabases of records and informationObserving ethnographic studiesAnalysis of other research to identify patternsSemi-structured interviewsQuestionnaires with close-ended questionsQuestionnaires with open-ended questionsStructured Interviews When to use qualitative and quantitative research? When conducting a study, knowing how the results will be depicted drive the methodology and overall approach to the study. To understand whether qualitative or quantitative research results are best suited for your current project, we take a deeper dive at the several advantages and disadvantages of each. Qualitative research Advantages: Allows researchers to understand “human experience” that cannot be quantified Has fewer limitations, out-of-the-box answers, opinions and beliefs are included in data gathering and analysis Researchers can utilise personal instinct and subjective experience to identify and extract information Easier to derive and conduct as researchers can adapt to any changes to optimise results Disadvantages: Responses can be biased, as participants may opt for answers that are desirable. Qualitative studies usually have small sample sizes, this impacts the reliability of the study as it cannot be generalised to certain demographics. Researchers and other’s who read the study can have interpretation bias as the information is subjective and open to interpretation Quantitative research Advantages: Usually observes a large sample, ensuring a broad percentage is taken into consideration and reflected Produces precise results that can be widely interpreted Minimises any research bias through the collection and representation of objective information Data driven research method that depicts effectiveness, comparisons and further analysis. Disadvantages: Does not derive “meaningful” and in-depth responses, only precise figures are included in findings Quantitative studies are expensive to conduct as they require a large sample When designing a quantitative study, it is important to pay extra attention to all factors within the study, as a small fault can largely impact all results. How to effectively analyse qualitative and quantitative data? Since the data collection method for qualitative and quantitative studies are different, so is the analysis and organisation of the gathered information. In this section, we dive into a step-by-step guide to effectively analyse both types of data and information to derive accurate findings and results. Analysing qualitative data Types of qualitative data analysis Content analysisIdentifies patterns derived from text. This is done by categorising information into themes, concepts and keywords.Narrative analysisObserves the manner in which people tell stories and the specific language they use to describe their narrative experience.Discourse analysisUsed to understand political, cultural and power dynamics. This methos specifically focuses on the manner in which individuals express themselves in social contexts.Thematic analysisThis method is used to understand the meaning behind the words participants use. This can be deduced by observing repeated themes in text.Grounded theoryMostly used when very little information is known about a case or phenomenon. The grounded theory is an “origin” theory and other cases and experiences are examined in comparison to the grounded theory. Steps to analyse qualitative data Once your data has been collected, it is important to code and categorise the information to easily identify the source. After organising the information, you will need to correlate the information logically and derive valuable insights. Once the correlations are solid, you will need to choose how to depict the information. In qualitative data, researchers usually provide transcripts from interviews and visual evidence from various sources. Analysing quantitative data Types of quantitative data analysis Descriptive analysisThis method focuses on summarising the collected data and describing its attributes. This is when mean, median, mode, frequency or distribution is calculated.Inferential analysisThis method allows researchers to draw conclusions from the gathered statistics. It allows researchers to analyse the relationship between variables and make predictions; this includes cross-tabulation, t-tests and factor analysis. Steps to analyse quantitative data Once the data has been collected, you will need to “clean” the data. This essentially means that you’ll need to observe any duplications, errors or omissions and remove them. This ensures the data is accurate and clear before analysis. You will now need to decide whether you will analyse the data using descriptive or inferential analysis, depending on the gathered data set and the findings you’d like to depict. Now, you’ll need to visualise the data using charts and graphs to easily communicate the information in your research paper. Conduct your research on Zendy todayThis blog thoroughly covered qualitative and quantitative data and took you through how to analyse, depict and utilise each type appropriately. Continue your research into different types of studies on Zendy today, search and read through millions of studies, research and experiments now.
A step-by-step guide to writing a research paper outline
A research outline guides the flow of the research paper, it is meant to ensure that the ideas, concepts and points are coherent and that the study and research has a well-defined point of focus. The outline sets guidelines for each section of the research paper, what it will address, explore and highlight. Working on a research paper outline is considered an important preliminary activity that improves the structure of the research paper, this is critical for categorising collected data. Think of it as a brainstorm session for your research paper that also implements effective time management. Understanding research paper outline A research paper ideally consists of 5 sections; abstract, introduction, body, conclusion and references. Each of these sections contributes to collating key information on the research design, in this section of the blog we dive into the purpose or each section. AbstractThe abstract sits on the first page of the research paper. It’s main purpose is to provide a brief overview of the paper by highlighting key findings, describing methodology, and summarising conclusive points.IntroductionThe introduction is crucial as it presents the research question, states the objectives or hypotheses, and outlines the scope and structure of the paper.BodyThe body of the research paper is where the content is discussed and highlighted. It can present detailed analysis, support arguments with evidence, address counterarguments and limitations, draw conclusions.ConclusionThe conclusion is a closing statement, it summarises the key findings, restates the aims and research question, reflects on the research process, discusses implications and contributions.ReferencesThe reference list is a crucial part of the paper, it ensures plagiarism is avoided, builds credibility, facilitates further reading to support claims and arguments. Step-by-step guide to conducting research outline Select a Topic: Choose a topic that aligns with your research requirements. Conduct Preliminary Research: Gather background information on your topic by reading through key scholarly articles, books, and credible online sources. Take notes on key ideas, findings, and arguments from reviewing the literature. Identify the Research Question or Thesis Statement: Formulate a focused research question or thesis statement that defines the purpose of your study. Create the Title: Write an informative title that accurately reflects the main topic and focus of your research paper. Write the Abstract: Summarize the objectives, methods, results, and conclusions of your research in a brief abstract. Develop the Introduction: Include background information to contextualize the research. Present the research question or thesis statement. Outline the scope and objectives of the study. Take the reader through the structure of the paper by mapping it out. Outline the Body: Organise and structure the main points and subpoints of your research. Ensure the content flows cohesively. Include supporting evidence, examples, data, or arguments. Craft the Conclusion: Summarise the key findings and insights. Highlight the thesis statement or research question. Discuss the implications of your findings and suggest methods for future research. End the conclusion by highlighting the significance of the study. Compile the References: Create a list of references following the appropriate citation style (e.g., Harvard, APA, MLA, Chicago). Ensure that all sources are accurately cited and formatted. Review and Revise: Review your research outline for coherence and clarity. Edit the outline as needed to improve organization, flow, and accuracy of information. Ensure the reference list follows the requirements of the correct format Research outline formats Traditional outline - Where thesis statement is provided at the end of the introduction, body paragraphs support thesis with research and a conclusion is included to emphasise key concepts of research paper. Alphanumeric outline - Outline format uses letters and numbers in this order: A, I, II, III Decimal outline - This format requires each main point to be labeled with a whole number, and each sub-point Conduct your research on Zendy Today As a thriving AI-powered academic research library, Zendy hosts a wide variety of academic research across various disciplines and branches of study. Draft your next or brush up your current research paper outline by skimming through the millions of credible resources Zendy offers! ul, ol { margin-top: 5px !important; margin-bottom: 5px !important; } p, ul, li, h1, h2, h4 { word-break: normal !important; } ol li ol { list-style: disc !important; margin: 5px 0 5px 15px !important; }
Webinar Recap: Supporting the publishing and discovery journey of young and emerging scholars in the Global South
On the 25th of April, Zendy partnered with Bristol University Press to host an insightful joint webinar titled, supporting the publishing and discovery journey of young and emerging scholars in the Global South. The discussion panel was moderated by the Editorial Director of Bristol University Press, Victoria Pittman and featured the President of African Gong, Elizabeth Rasekoala, the Deputy Editorial Director at Bristol University Press, Stephen Wenham and the Partnerships Relations Manager at Zendy, Sara Crowley Vigneau. In this blog, we summarise the contributions of each speaker to the joint webinar. Elizabeth Rasekoala - President of African Gong Addressed key systematic issues within publishing in the Global South Academic research is predominantly published in English, which is not the first language of many in the Global South, hence publishers should be open to accepting research in different languages. Discussed the concept of “helicopter research syndrome” wherein more established researchers allocate data collection tasks to locals in the Global South and monitor their work but don’t credit them in the final academic papers Highlighted the book published by Bristol University Press titled, Race and cultural inclusion: Innovation, decolonization, and transformation. The book had a total of 30 contributing writers. 10 young scholars, 10 seasoned scholars and 10 senior scholars to facilitate emerging scholars get published. Stephen Wenham - Deputy Editorial Director at Bristol University Press Highlighted BUP’s international reach and efforts to work with young authors Bristol University Press has publications that are available globally. In the global south, BUP tries to match the books to the local market. Local distributors receive a discount and local publishers assist in localising the publications and releasing local editions of books Works with sales agents to ensure publications by local authors are highlighted in relevant regions Sara Crowley Vigneau - Partnerships Relations Manager at Zendy Highlighted the relationship between publishers and libraries in advancing access in developing regions Zendy supports scholars in the Global South through offering an affordable global subscription, while also working with publishers to include research generated by researchers in the Global South. Most of Zendy’s global users are aged between 18-34 and 20% of Zendy’s userbase is situated in African countries and territories. Zendy is actively working on “countries in crisis’ initiative where in Zendy works with publishers to make research content free in developing regions Conduct your research on Zendy As a growing AI-powered research library, Zendy is committed to hosting webinars that address important challenges and highlight key initiatives in the world of academia. Head to Zendy’s YouTube channel now to watch all our webinar recordings. Furthermore, take your research to the next level and head to Zendy now to try out our suite of AI tools including ZAIA! ul { margin-top: 5px !important; margin-bottom: 5px !important; } p, ul, li, h1, h2, h4 { word-break: normal !important; }