Linking to the Oxford DNB

We recommend that you use a DOI rather than a URL to link to an Oxford DNB article.

What is a DOI?

• DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier. It is a unique and persistent code that identifies online content; in our case, our biography of a person.

What does a DOI look like?

• The DOI of our biography of Winston Churchill is 10.1093/ref:odnb/32413. The first two parts identify the Oxford DNB, and the third, 32413, is our identity number for Churchill. Every Oxford DNB DOI looks like this; only the identity numbers vary.

How do I find what a DOI is for a biography?

• At the foot of every article, after the references section, we give the DOI.

How do I link using a DOI?

• Make a link like this: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/32413 - in other words, add the DOI to a base address of http://dx.doi.org/.

Some more questions

• Why is a DOI better than a URL?

  A DOI will always work, even if we rearrange our website. And with a DOI you can link to a co-subject in a biography - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/89951 takes you straight to Anne Hathaway, discussed in the article on Shakespeare.

• Where do I find out more about DOIs?

  The International Digital Object Identifier Foundation's web site is at http://www.doi.org/; it has an excellent FAQs section.

• I have another question. Who do I ask?

  Please email the Oxford DNB electronic publication manager:

  epm-oxforddnb@oup.com