ISO 26324:2022

Overview

ISO 26324:2022 specifies the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) system - a social and technical infrastructure for persistent, unique identification of objects (digital, physical or abstract). The standard defines the DOI name syntax, the description (metadata) model, resolution functionality and high-level rules for creation, registration and administration of DOI names. It emphasizes persistence, interoperability and extensibility while not mandating particular technologies for implementation.

Key Topics

• DOI syntax and structure: rules for the DOI prefix, separator and suffix, including concepts such as directory indicator and registrant code that form the prefix element.
• Visual and URI representation: guidance on how DOI names are presented in print, on screens and as URIs for web resolution.
• Assignment principles: rules covering granularity, uniqueness, persistence and description when assigning DOI names.
• Resolution functionality: how DOI names map to actionable targets (e.g., URLs, e‑mail addresses, other identifiers) and support persistent linking.
• DOI metadata model: a structured, extensible data model (including DOI kernel metadata) to describe referents; Annex B contains the metadata specification and data dictionary concepts.
• Administration and governance: high-level administration requirements and the role of a registration authority (Annex C); normative guidance on integrating DOI with other identifier schemes (Annex A).
• Interoperability rules: provisions for using DOI in conjunction with other identifier systems without replacing them; the standard clarifies how character strings from other schemes may be included in DOI metadata or syntax.
• Standards references: Unicode is a normative reference for character encoding.

Applications

ISO 26324 is applicable wherever persistent, resolvable identifiers are required:

• Academic and scholarly publishers for article and dataset identification
• Libraries, archives and repositories managing digital preservation and cataloguing
• Research data centers and institutional repositories to enable stable citations and data linking
• Service providers building resolution services, linking services or metadata registries
• Organizations wanting to integrate existing identifier schemes with DOI for added resolution or metadata services

Practical benefits include durable linking, machine-actionable metadata, automated transactions, cross-system interoperability and support for application profiles to group related DOI names.

Related Standards

• Works alongside identifier schemes defined within ISO/TC 46/SC 9 (information and documentation).
• References Unicode for character encoding; does not prescribe implementation technologies, allowing flexibility in technical deployment.

Keywords: ISO 26324, DOI, digital object identifier, DOI metadata, DOI resolution, persistent identifier, identifier system, metadata standard, DOI syntax.