Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
4-4-2018
Document Type
Article
Citation
Fasae J. K., and Oriogu, C. D. (2018). Digital Object Identifier and their Use in Accessing Online Scholarly Materials in Africa. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal).
Abstract
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) has been internationally recognized as a standard for identifying information resources on the web. It is an advanced tool that provides unique identification or permanent links to find specific journal articles and other information resources online. This paper discusses digital object identifier and their use in accessing online scholarly materials in Africa. It looks at the extent of Uniform Resource Locators (URL), understanding DOI functionalities, and benefits of DOI, scholarly materials with DOI in Africa with a critical examination of African Online Journals (AJOL) which is the biggest database in Africa. It was therefore discovered that the use and application of DOI in accessing online scholarly materials of African origin is still at crawling stage. The study recommends that the publishers in Africa should take advantage of this development by doing the needful and emulate those journals in African Online Journals (AJOL) to register their publications for DOI. This will enhance wider visibility and easy retrieval of African scholarly materials, while African authors also needs to wake up to explore the benefit of the DOI.