DOI Finder
Paste your references below. Each one is looked up in Crossref, PubMed, DataCite, DBLP, and OpenAlex, and you get the DOI registered for it.
How the DOI finder works
The finder reads each line as a reference and searches its title in Crossref, PubMed, DBLP, and OpenAlex. A DOI you paste is resolved against Crossref and DataCite. A record counts as your source only when its title matches and its first author does not contradict yours. The finder then compares the journal or conference and the year, and tells you when one of them differs. It is the same lookup as the reference checker, shown as DOIs. A reference that already carries a DOI is checked too: you see whether that DOI is registered and whether it belongs to the work you cite.
What each result means
- DOI found: A record with the same title is registered, its first author does not contradict yours, and this is its DOI. When its journal or year differs from what you pasted, or your reference carries another DOI, a note says so. A retracted article is marked.
- Check: The closest record differs from your reference in its title or its authors. Its title is shown, with its DOI when it has one, so compare it with your source before you use it.
- No DOI: The work was found, but its record carries no DOI. Many conference papers and older articles have none.
- Not found: No record turned up, or the DOI you pasted is not registered. Books, reports and web pages are often outside these databases. When a database did not answer, the row says the check is incomplete.
- Try again: The lookup ran out of time before it reached this reference. Run it again, or look up fewer references at once.
- Unreadable: The line could not be read as a reference. Paste the whole reference on one line: authors, year, title and journal.
Limits and privacy
One lookup takes up to 30 references. Your references are sent to the CiteTools server, which queries Crossref, PubMed, DataCite, DBLP, and OpenAlex. Your list is not kept after the lookup. Coverage is strongest for journal articles and conference papers. The tool methodology describes the sources and the matching rules.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the DOI of an article?
Paste the reference as it stands in your list: authors, year, title and journal. The DOI finder searches the title in the databases it queries, checks that the record is the same work, and shows the DOI registered for it.
Why does a reference have no DOI?
Not every source has one. Publishers register DOIs mostly for journal articles, conference papers, datasets and newer books. Older articles, many books, reports and web pages have none, and most citation styles then ask for a web address or nothing in its place.
Can the DOI finder return the wrong DOI?
It can, so every row shows the title of the record it matched. A DOI is marked as found only when that title matches yours and the first author does not contradict your reference. Anything less is marked Check. Two works with the same title and the same first author would still be told apart only by you, so compare the matched title, the journal and the year with your source.
How many references can I look up at once?
Up to 30 references per lookup, one per line. Copy DOIs writes one DOI per line in the order of your list, with an empty line where none was found, so the column lines up with your references.