In NLM style, present a DOI in a reference by giving the DOI prefix followed by the article's DOI string, and cite the landing page that the DOI resolves to as the source.
Citing Medicine supplies the structured examples for journal articles and other publication types, including the rules for presenting DOIs in references. The DOI Handbook explains that a DOI name resolves through the Handle System to current information supplied for the identified object, commonly a landing page maintained by the registrant. That resolution behavior is why the landing page, rather than the bare identifier alone, is the source you cite.
Steps to format and verify the DOI
- Retrieve the DOI metadata for the article through the Crossref REST API by looking up the DOI; the lookup returns the metadata deposited for that DOI. Use the returned title, authors, journal, and publication details to build the reference fields.
- Format the reference using the Citing Medicine example that matches the publication type, placing the DOI prefix and DOI string where that example shows it.
- Resolve the DOI and open the landing page it points to, then confirm that the landing page matches the article you are citing before you finalize the reference.
What each source contributes
Citing Medicine is the place to check the reference layout for a journal article or another publication type. The DOI Handbook explains what resolution does, which tells you which page to treat as the source. The Crossref REST API lets you confirm the deposited metadata so the surrounding reference fields match the DOI you are formatting.
If a DOI lookup returns no metadata or the landing page does not match the article, treat the reference as unresolved and check the DOI string against the article record before submitting.