What is a DOI?
A DOI is a unique identifier that provides a permanent link to any research you add to your profile – making it easily findable and citable.
DOIs help you:
- Make your research citable. DOIs provide information on where your work can be found online. They are guaranteed to never change, making them a great way to provide a reliable link to any of your research.
- Put a date on your discovery. DOIs include the publishing date of your research, to make sure you get the credit you deserve.
The search bar at the top of every ResearchGate page supports DOIs, allowing you to quickly find and identify a publication when you have its DOI.
What type of research can I generate a ResearchGate DOI for?
ResearchGate DOIs can be generated for most of your unpublished work. As publications classified as article, book, chapter, patent, cover page, poster, and conference paper are considered to have been published elsewhere, ResearchGate DOIs cannot be generated for these types of research. You can, however, add an existing DOI issued by your publisher to any of your research. You should not generate a ResearchGate DOI for a research item that already has one, as this will potentially lead to confusion.
How do I generate a ResearchGate DOI for my research?
Provided the type of research you have added supports adding a ResearchGate DOI and includes a public full-text, you can generate one by following these steps:
- Go to your Research tab
- Select the research item you would like to generate a ResearchGate DOI for by clicking on its title
- On the right-hand side, click on the More button and select Generate a DOI (if this is not visible, then generating a DOI for this type of research item is not possible)
- Review the details of your research item to ensure they are correct
- Click Generate a DOI.
Note: Once a ResearchGate DOI has been generated for a research item, you’re no longer able to edit that research item. Instead, you should remove the research completely, re-upload it with the edits and generate a new DOI.
What if my research already has a DOI from another source?
You should not generate a new DOI for a work that already has one, as this will potentially lead to confusion. To add a publisher-issued DOI to your research item, follow these steps:
- Go to your Research tab
- Scroll down to the research item you would like to add the DOI to
- Click the More button below the research item's title and select Edit
- Enter the DOI number in the DOI field
- Click Save to confirm your changes.
Researchers will now be able to cite your work using its DOI.