URLs vs. DOIs

For any kind of electronic source, a link to identification is required, with the common two being URLs and DOIs. DOIs are best for academic sources, as they are unchanging identifiers and easy to locate. DOIs can be placed similar to a link at the end of a citation. DOIs are usually near the top of a research article or in a research articles’ generated citation. However, not all sources (especially older sources) will have DOIs. If there is no DOI for the source, a URL can easily substitute. Additionally, URLs are also used when a source calls for it, such as a website. For any other questions about URLs vs. DOIs, visit the APA Style page on DOIs and URLs.