Prefixes

A DOI prefix always starts with '10.' and continues with a number (e.g. '10.1234' or '10.20865'). The DOI prefix is used as a namespace so that DOIs are globally unique. DOI names are provided by DataCite and other DOI Registration Agencies (RAs). This is coordinated by the International DOI Foundation (IDF).

• There are 11 DOI Registration Agencies, most of which assign DOI names to scholarly content. Crossref is the largest DOI Registration Agency.

• CNRI (Corporation for National Research Initiatives) manage the handle system and provide technical and operational support for the DOI system as a contractor. They assign a pool of prefixes to DataCite which are imported into Fabrica and distributed to DataCite Members.

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Repositories and Prefixes

Each DataCite Repository account has one prefix to register DOIs. If a new prefix is needed, a new Repository account should be created. This model means that different content types stay together and can be moved around more easily if needed in future.