ISO 26324:2025

Overview

ISO 26324:2025 - Information and documentation - Digital object identifier system - defines the syntax, description and resolution functional components of the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) system. This 2025 third edition clarifies DOI name case-sensitiveness, updates common DOI representations, and revises the specification and procedures for system metadata. The standard describes how DOI names (opaque Unicode strings) are created, registered, resolved and administered to provide persistent, unique identification of objects of any form (digital, physical or abstract).

Key Topics

• DOI name syntax: DOI names are specified as sequences of Unicode code points (graphic characters); the standard defines allowable characters and multiple representations for interchange and display.
• Representations: common forms include visual media forms and machine-friendly forms such as URI, URN and HTTP-proxy representations for resolution.
• Assignment principles: rules for uniqueness, persistence, granularity and descriptive registration of DOI names.
• Resolution functionality: how DOI names are linked to current information (locations, metadata) and how resolution services operate within the DOI system.
• System metadata: structured metadata required to describe referents and support interoperability and automated services (see Annex B).
• Administration: governance and registration procedures for DOI registrants and the Registration Authority (Clause 8 and Annex C).
• Interoperability: guidance on using DOIs alongside other identifier schemes and integrating existing identifier strings via metadata or DOI syntax (relationship to other schemes covered in Annex A).
• Technology neutrality: the standard specifies functional components without mandating particular implementation technologies.

Applications

ISO 26324:2025 is practical for organizations needing reliable, resolvable identifiers and metadata management, including:

• Publishers and scholarly societies issuing DOIs for articles, datasets and media
• Libraries, archives and repositories implementing persistent linking and preservation workflows
• Research data managers and data centers ensuring persistent access to datasets
• Software developers and integrators building DOI resolution services, metadata APIs or discovery tools
• Registration agencies and administrators managing DOI assignment policies

Key use cases: persistent linking, cross-platform discovery, metadata interoperability, automated resolution services, and integration of DOIs with other identifier systems to add resolution or metadata functionality.

Related Standards

• ISO/IEC 10646 - Universal coded character set (UCS) - referenced for Unicode code points used in DOI names
• IANA Namespace Registration for DOI - registration of DOI in the URN namespace
• Related identifier schemes developed under ISO/TC 46/SC 9 (for interoperability considerations)

Keywords: ISO 26324:2025, DOI, digital object identifier, DOI name, system metadata, resolution, persistence, identifier interoperability, DOI registration.