Record the DOI, title, authors, version, access route, verification date, update status, and the specific claim the paper supports, so the entry can be audited and replaced later. These fields separate what the paper is, how you reached it, and what it is being used to support.
Core fields and what each one does
- Stable identifier: Record the DOI as the persistent identifier. A DOI name resolves through the Handle System to current information supplied for the identified object, commonly a registrant-maintained landing page, so it points to the record rather than a copied file path.
- Title and authors: Capture these as deposited metadata. A Crossref DOI lookup returns the metadata deposited for that DOI, which gives you a checkable version of the bibliographic details.
- Version: Note which version you registered (for example, a preprint or a publisher version) so a later reader knows which text the claim came from.
- Access route: Record how you reached the paper, such as the DOI landing page or a database record, so the path can be retraced.
- Verification date: Log the date you confirmed the record, since metadata and publisher records can change after deposit.
- Update status: Note whether the work has a Crossmark record and what it currently shows. Crossmark lets readers check a publisher-maintained record for updates such as corrections, retractions, and other changes.
- Supported claim: Write the exact claim the paper supports in your register, so the entry can be reassessed if the paper is corrected or replaced.
How to enter a paper
- Resolve the DOI and open the landing page; record the DOI, title, authors, and version as shown there.
- Look up the DOI in Crossref to compare deposited metadata with the landing page; note any mismatch as unresolved and record both values.
- Check the Crossmark record where one exists and log the update status and the date you checked.
- Write the claim the paper supports and the access route, then save the entry with the verification date.
Using the register for audit and replacement
When a claim is challenged, compare the stored verification date and update status against the current publisher record. If the update status has changed, mark the entry for review and locate a replacement source for the same claim. Treat a single index as one view of the record: Crossref reflects deposited metadata, while the DOI landing page reflects what the registrant currently supplies, so a discrepancy between them is a prompt to check the publisher record and leaves the question of which value is correct open until that check is done.