A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent identifier assigned to a published work — most often a journal article — that resolves to its current location. A valid DOI looks like 10.1038/nature14539 and should point to exactly one work.

How do I check if a DOI is valid?

Paste the citation (or just the DOI) into CiteProve. It resolves the DOI against Crossref and OpenAlex; if it registers, the metadata it points to is compared field by field against what you cited. A DOI that doesn't resolve, or that resolves to a different work than cited, is flagged.

Can a DOI be real but point to the wrong paper?

Yes — and it's a classic AI failure mode. A genuine, registered DOI can be attached to a fabricated or mis-cited title. Because CiteProve validates the resolved record against your citation rather than trusting the identifier, it surfaces this as a mismatch instead of a false verification.

DOI checker

Confirm that a DOI is valid and that it resolves to the paper you actually cited. Paste a citation or a bare DOI — CiteProve resolves it and validates every field.

In short

To check a DOI, resolve it against a registry like Crossref and confirm the work it points to matches your citation. A DOI can be invalid (it doesn't resolve) or — more deceptively — valid but attached to a different paper than the one cited. CiteProve resolves the DOI and then compares the title, authors, year and venue field by field, so a real DOI on the wrong work is flagged rather than trusted.

Paste a citation or DOI

What a DOI check catches

DOIs that don't resolve to any registered work
Real DOIs attached to a different paper than cited
Citations where the year, authors or journal disagree with the DOI record
Retraction status carried on the resolved record

Beyond the DOI

Not every reference carries a DOI. CiteProve also resolves PMIDs, arXiv IDs, ISBNs and US legal reporter citations, and for everything else it searches by title and author — so a reference with no identifier at all can still be verified.

Frequently asked questions

What is a DOI?: A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent identifier assigned to a published work — most often a journal article — that resolves to its current location. A valid DOI looks like 10.1038/nature14539 and should point to exactly one work.
How do I check if a DOI is valid?: Paste the citation (or just the DOI) into CiteProve. It resolves the DOI against Crossref and OpenAlex; if it registers, the metadata it points to is compared field by field against what you cited. A DOI that doesn't resolve, or that resolves to a different work than cited, is flagged.
Can a DOI be real but point to the wrong paper?: Yes — and it's a classic AI failure mode. A genuine, registered DOI can be attached to a fabricated or mis-cited title. Because CiteProve validates the resolved record against your citation rather than trusting the identifier, it surfaces this as a mismatch instead of a false verification.