Changing or deleting DOIs
Because DOIs are designed to be persistent, a DOI string can’t be changed once registered, and DOIs can’t be fully deleted. You can always update the metadata associated with a DOI, but the DOI string itself can’t change, and once it’s been registered, it will be included in your next content registration invoice. It’s important that you only register a DOI that you definitely want to use.
However, since mistakes happen, here are some work-around solutions to common problems.
Your deposited DOI does not match the DOI you published
If you’ve registered the wrong DOI for an item, it’s not possible to change the suffix of a DOI after it has been deposited. Instead, you’ll need to do the following:
- Deposit the correct DOI
- Alias the incorrect DOI to the correct DOI (or ask support to do this for you)
The incorrect DOI will then be redirected to the newly-registered DOI.
If you need to update a title-level book or journal DOI please contact us as we will need to make adjustments to allow the update submission to pass.
You deposited a DOI by mistake
It’s not possible to fully delete a DOI, but in some circumstances we can direct a DOI to a deleted DOI page. The metadata for the DOI is updated to disconnect the DOI from any identifying metadata. This process should only be applied to DOIs that have not been distributed or otherwise used for linking. DOIs for items that have been retracted or otherwise withdrawn should be directed to a retraction or withdrawal notice on the publisher’s website.
If you think your DOI needs to be deleted, please contact us with details.
