DOI Namespace > Assignment Principles of the DOI Name

The following principles for assigning DOI names apply:

•A DOI name can be assigned to any object whenever there is a functional need to distinguish it from other objects.
DOI names can be assigned at any desired degree of precision and granularity that a Registration Agency deems to be appropriate based on the needs of their community.

•Each DOI name shall specify one and only one referent in the DOI System.

•The assignment of a DOI name requires that the registrant provide metadata describing the object to which the DOI name is being assigned. The metadata shall describe the object to the degree that is necessary to distinguish it as a separate entity within the DOI System.

•No time limit for the existence of a DOI name shall be assumed in any assignment (see Persistence as a Design Feature of the DOI System).

•A DOI name shall not be used as a replacement for other ISO identifier schemes.

NOTE While a referent can be specified by more than one DOI name, it is usually recommended that each referent has only one DOI name. But depending on the DOI application, there may be legitimate reasons to assign multiple DOIs to the same referent.