Open the DOI record in Crossref to read the deposited author list, then compare it against the publisher landing page before you build the full citation. A DOI resolves through the Handle System to current information supplied for the identified object, commonly a landing page maintained by the registrant, so the landing page and the deposited metadata are two places to check rather than one.
- Start from the DOI. Take the DOI from the abbreviated citation or the article page. A DOI lookup in Crossref returns the metadata deposited for that DOI, which includes the deposited author list.
- Read the deposited author list. Record each author name and the order as deposited. This gives you the list the record holder supplied for that DOI.
- Open the publisher landing page. Resolve the DOI to reach the registrant's landing page and read the author list shown there.
- Compare the two lists. Check names, spelling, order, and whether the landing page lists authors the deposited record does not, or the reverse. If they match, use that list. If they differ, treat the discrepancy as unresolved and check the article's own byline or the version you are citing before you finalize.
- Apply your style's rule. Use the full list when your citation style requires it. Citing Medicine provides structured rules and examples for citing journal articles and other publication types, so consult the entry for your source type to see what the style expects.
A citation that shows "et al." is a shortened display, so the full list has to come from the record itself. Keep the author order you find, since the deposited list and the landing page both present authors in sequence.