Not a primary publisher but interested in using CrossRef to lookup DOIs for persistent linking to full text? Through CrossRef, affiliates can create links to all CrossRef member publishers without signing bi-lateral linking agreements and without having to track publishers' individual linking schemes.

If you are a database publisher, subscription agent, software vendor, or journal hosting/linking platform, here are the steps you should to take to become a CrossRef Affiliate:

• Upon request, CrossRef will send your an Affiliate Agreement for consideration. Request membership forms. Upon receipt of the signed agreement, CrossRef will issue you a query account.
• Familiarize yourself with the Affiliate Rules and Fee Schedule.
• Review the CrossRef specifications on How to Query and the DOI Guidelines.
• Affiliates interested in real-time, or dynamic, linking should consider local hosting.

CrossRef offers secondary publishers and other affiliates the opportunity to identify, acquire, and capture DOIs for records that don’t currently contain DOIs as provided directly by the primary publisher. Without CrossRef, this identification and capturing process for thousands of records would be expensive and arduous to implement.

CrossRef makes available a DOI directory and metadata for journal articles that enable the look-up of DOIs specifically to create links to full-text articles on the web sites of primary publishers. This benefits your customers by allowing them to link to the full-text content of some primary publishers who won’t authorize any other type of linking relationship. Please take a tour of the CrossRef system or visit our gallery of linked publisher websites. Our "fast facts" area provides answers to frequently asked questions. You may also be interested in the relationship between the DOI and the OpenURL.

Joining CrossRef offers affiliates significant advantages:

• Enhance the utility of your indexes by linking directly to full-text
• Offer CrossRef implementation as part of your hosting services
• Expand publication coverage without increased cost
• Provide seamless integration of secondary, abstracted, or aggregated materials with primary literature
• Gain efficiencies of centralized linking agreements