DOI Validator & Resolver
Paste a DOI — or a list, one per line — and the validator checks that it has the right shape (10., a registrant code, a slash and a suffix), cleans it out of any link or sentence, and gives it to you as an https://doi.org link, doi:, DOI: or bare. A Resolve link opens each DOI at doi.org so you can see where it leads. Free, no sign-up, and nothing is sent anywhere until you click Resolve.
Single DOI Validation
Batch Validation
What is a DOI?
A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a persistent identifier used to uniquely identify academic articles, datasets, and other scholarly works. DOIs always start with “10.” followed by a registrant code and a suffix separated by a slash.
DOIs are required in APA 7th edition references and recommended in MLA and Chicago citations when available. They provide a permanent link to the source, even if the URL changes.
How to Use the DOI Validator
- Enter one DOI. Paste it in any form — 10.1037/edu0000812, doi:10.1037/edu0000812 or a full https://doi.org/ link — and press Validate. A green dot means the format is right.
- Copy the form you need. A valid DOI is shown as an https://doi.org/ link, as doi:, as DOI: and bare, each with its own copy button.
- Check a list. In Batch Validation paste one DOI per line and press Validate All. You get a count of valid and invalid lines, and a Resolve link beside each valid one.
- Resolve to be sure. Click Resolve DOI or Resolve to open the DOI at doi.org in a new tab. If it lands on the article, the DOI is registered.
What “Valid” Means Here
A DOI has two parts separated by a slash: a prefix that begins with 10. and carries the registrant’s code, and a suffix the registrant chooses. The tool treats a string as valid when it finds 10., four to nine digits, a slash and at least one more character. That is a format check. It does not ask Crossref or any other agency whether the DOI exists, so a well-formed DOI that was never registered still shows green.
The tool is forgiving about where the DOI sits. It takes the first DOI-shaped string in each line, so a whole reference or a sentence works, and it removes trailing punctuation: (10.1000/xyz123). becomes 10.1000/xyz123. DOIs are not case-sensitive, so the tool leaves the suffix as you wrote it.
Worked Example
Paste these four lines into Batch Validation: 10.1037/edu0000812, https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123, not-a-doi and 10.1126/science.abc1234. The summary reads 3 valid, 1 invalid out of 4 DOIs. Only not-a-doi fails, because it has no 10. prefix. Entering 10.1037/edu0000812 in the single box shows it four ways: https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000812, doi:10.1037/edu0000812, DOI: 10.1037/edu0000812 and the bare string.
Which Form of the DOI Does Your Style Want?
| Style | DOI form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | https:// link | https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000812 |
| MLA 9 | https:// link, preferred to a URL | https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000812 |
| AMA | doi: with no space | doi:10.1037/edu0000812 |
| IEEE | doi: followed by a space | doi: 10.1037/edu0000812 |
The tool offers the prefix; whether a full stop follows it depends on the style. APA puts no period after a DOI link.
Which Tool Do You Need?
- Check or copy a single DOI, or a column of them: this page.
- Rewrite every DOI inside a whole reference list into one style: DOI Link Formatter.
- Find the DOIs a reference list is missing: DOI Finder, which searches Crossref.
- Check whether a DOI points to a retracted paper: Retraction Checker.
- Turn a DOI into BibTeX or a formatted citation: DOI to BibTeX Converter or DOI Citation Generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a DOI?
- A Digital Object Identifier is a persistent identifier for a scholarly work such as a journal article, book chapter or dataset. It is a name rather than an address: doi.org looks up where the work currently lives, so the link keeps working if the publisher moves the page.
- What does a valid DOI look like?
- The prefix 10., a registrant code of four or more digits, a slash, and a suffix: 10.1037/edu0000812. As a link it is https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000812. The suffix can contain letters, digits and punctuation, so copy it exactly and watch for a full stop that belongs to the sentence.
- Does this tool check that the DOI really exists?
- No. It checks the format, then gives you a Resolve link to doi.org. If that link opens the article, the DOI exists; a “DOI not found” page means it is mistyped or was never registered. To search for a missing DOI use the DOI Finder.
- Why is my DOI not resolving?
- Most often a typo, a space or line break inside the DOI, or a full stop or bracket copied from the sentence around it. A brand-new DOI may also not resolve until its publisher has registered it. Run it through the validator to strip the extra characters, then try Resolve again.
- How do I write a DOI in APA 7?
- As an https://doi.org/ link with no “DOI:” label and no period after it: https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000812. The tool’s first copy button gives exactly this form.
- Can I validate many DOIs at once?
- Yes. Paste one per line into Batch Validation. Blank lines are skipped, and each line is judged on its own, so a line holding a whole reference still yields its DOI.
- Is anything sent to a server when I validate?
- No. The validation runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. The only request happens if you click a Resolve link, which opens doi.org in a new tab.