DOI Options in OJS: Crossref, DataCite and mEDRA

OJS supports three DOI registration agencies out of the box: Crossref, DataCite and mEDRA. Since OJS 3.4, DOIs are part of the core system, with their own page for tracking and registering them. Where things are depends on your version.

What OJS can do with DOIs

• Assign DOIs to articles, and optionally to issues and galleys.
• Build each DOI from your prefix and a suffix pattern you choose, or let OJS generate one.
• Register (deposit) DOIs with Crossref, DataCite or mEDRA directly from OJS, by hand or automatically.
• Export the metadata as a file, for agencies or cases where you upload it yourself.
• Show the DOI on the article page, in the citation and in the metadata Google Scholar reads.

OJS 3.4 and 3.5

1. Go to Settings → Distribution → DOIs and switch DOIs on.
2. Tick what should get DOIs, enter your prefix, and choose how suffixes are made.
3. Choose when DOIs are assigned: for example automatically when an article reaches copyediting or publication.
4. On the registration tab, pick your agency and enter its login details. Enable automatic deposit if you want OJS to register DOIs when articles are published.
5. Use the DOIs page in the left menu to see the status of each item (unregistered, submitted, registered, error) and to register or update DOIs in bulk.

OJS 3.3

1. In Settings → Website → Plugins, enable the DOI plugin and set your prefix and suffix pattern.
2. Enable and configure the agency’s plugin, for example the Crossref XML export plugin.
3. Register or export DOIs from Tools → Import/Export.

OJS 3.3 is still supported as a long-term-support release until at least January 2027, but OJS 3.5 is the current long-term-support version and handles DOIs much better. See the latest version of OJS.

Agencies OJS doesn’t support directly

For other agencies, export your metadata and upload it on the agency’s site, or check whether a community plugin exists for your OJS version. Test any third-party plugin on a copy of your site first.

Common problems

Problem	Usual cause
Deposit fails with a login error	Wrong agency username or password, or the account lacks deposit rights
DOI registered but leads to the wrong page	The article’s address changed: update the DOI so the agency has the new address
Automatic deposit never happens	Scheduled tasks (cron) aren’t running on the server
Duplicate DOI error	The suffix pattern created the same DOI twice: use a pattern with a unique article ID

This guide is independent and isn’t endorsed by Crossref, DataCite, Zenodo or the DOI Foundation. Fees, rules and screens are theirs to change: the details here were checked in October 2026, so confirm them on the official site before you budget or apply.

Stuck on a deposit or an upgrade? Our OJS support team sets up and fixes DOI registration in OJS.

Questions

Which DOI agencies does OJS support?

Crossref, DataCite and mEDRA are supported out of the box. Others need a manual export or a community plugin.

Can OJS register DOIs automatically?

Yes. In OJS 3.4 and 3.5, turn on automatic deposit in the DOI registration settings; scheduled tasks must be running on the server.

Where are the DOI settings in OJS 3.4?

Settings → Distribution → DOIs, plus a DOIs page in the left menu for status and bulk registration.

Can I add DOIs to articles published before I joined Crossref?

Yes. Assign DOIs to the back issues in OJS and register them; Crossref charges less for back content.