Crossref
Publication metadata and identifiers for finding papers and checking DOI references.
Screenshot captured on 2026-09-22. The current website may have changed.
Check a scholarly reference
Use metadata and a DOI to locate the published work.
Check first: Compare authors, title, date and version with the reference you received.
Compare this resource with other directory records →
Read a copied DOI or ORCID before opening its record →
A DOI was found: does it identify the intended reference?
- Title search
- Find candidates when the identifier is missing.
- DOI lookup
- Compare a specific record with your starting reference.
- Copy the starting title, authors and year.
- Compare each field with the DOI record, then open the publisher page.
- Record differences and missing fields before reusing the citation.
Fictional example: the title matches but the first author and year differ. The candidate still needs checking; do not silently substitute its record for your reference.
Your useful record: Keep the starting reference, candidate DOI, compared fields and publisher link.
A bibliographic record does not establish the validity of scientific conclusions.
Editorial method informed by Crossref — REST API. Documentation consulted on . Examples are fictional exercises, not results from a live service test.
Choose the date that answers your question
A publication date does not necessarily describe when a Crossref record first arrived.
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| from-pub-date | Filter by publication. |
| from-created-date | Filter by first deposit. |
| from-update-date | Filter by deposit or redeposit. |
| has-abstract | Selects records containing an abstract; it does not assess its quality. |
| has-license | Indicates a licence in the metadata. Its terms and the material it covers still need checking. |
Try the reasoning
Illustrative situation. An old article receives a metadata correction today. Should it count as a new publication?
Read the explanation
No. Separate the article’s age from the record event. To monitor changes, use the date associated with updates.
Documentation for the table : Crossref — REST API filters · . The exercise is an editorial example.
Use a record to verify a bibliographic reference
Crossref documentation describes metadata retrieval through its REST API. A DOI and record help identify a publication; using a result still requires reading the text, methods and status.
- Record
- DOI, title, authors and available dates.
- Compare
- Metadata record, text actually read and cited version.
- Limit
- Metadata does not guarantee the accuracy of a scientific conclusion.
- Crossmark status
- The Crossmark button provides access to corrections, retractions and updates reported by the depositor. It can also appear in a locally saved PDF.
- Ambiguous search
- When a search returns similar titles, compare DOI, authors and date with the original reference; the first result is not a confirmed match.
- Three technical dates
- created records first DOI registration; deposited records the latest metadata update; indexed records the latest indexing. None should automatically be treated as the text’s publication date.
Source: Crossref — REST API metadata format · consulted on - Reindexing without a text revision
- Reindexing can occur without a change to deposited metadata. To date a scholarly correction, find the notice and document version rather than infer a change from indexed.
Source: Crossref — REST API metadata format · consulted on - Where fields come from
- Members deposit metadata, supplemented by sources including Retraction Watch. A missing field does not establish that the information is absent from the article.
Source: Crossref — REST API · consulted on - DOI registration agency
- The /works/{doi}/agency request identifies the registration agency. Searching Crossref does not automatically cover DOIs registered by every other agency.
Source: Crossref — REST API · consulted on
Initial profile documentation
Initial profile documentation consulted on . Added details carry their own source and consultation date above.
Read the direction of a publication relationship
Crossref relationships have a direction: described and linked objects play different roles. Read the relationship before replacing a reference.
- Identify the described object
- Read the relationship
- Compare the cited passage
| Situation | What changes | Useful check |
|---|---|---|
| isPreprintOf / hasPreprint | Links a preprint and associated publication in opposite directions. | Check which document was actually read. |
| isVersionOf / hasVersion | Declares a version relationship. | Compare tables and conclusions; the link does not mean identical text. |
| isReviewOf / hasReview | Links a review and its subject. | Read the review and its scope before concluding. |
A working DOI identifies a resource without awarding a quality label. A missing metadata relationship does not establish that works are unrelated. Retain the title, version and passage used.
Documentation : Crossref — Relationships ↗ ·
Practical methods for this resource
Editorial selection, without website certification. Read our method.