DOI Finder
Metaverse Research Unit · CrossRef Lookup
The DOI Finder is developed by the Metaverse Research Unit (MRU) at the University of Johannesburg's Institute for Artificial Intelligence Systems — part of our commitment to building free, accessible tools that make life easier for researchers across Africa and beyond.
Every researcher knows the frustration: you've finalised a manuscript, your reference list runs to dozens or hundreds of entries, and now you need to verify or add DOIs to each one. It's tedious, time-consuming work that takes you away from what actually matters — your research.
The DOI Finder automates this process. Paste your reference list, and it queries the CrossRef database to locate and validate DOIs using title-matching algorithms. It won't get every one right — no automated system can — but it dramatically reduces the manual labour involved and gives you confidence scores so you stay in control of what gets included.
The MRU is an interdisciplinary research unit housed within the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Systems at the University of Johannesburg. Our work spans extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence, and educational technology — with a particular focus on creating African solutions for African challenges in higher education.
We believe that the tools scholars use every day should be smart, accessible, and free. The DOI Finder is one of a growing suite of practical utilities we're developing to support the academic community — from postgraduate students writing their first dissertation to seasoned researchers managing large publication portfolios.
Enter your reference list — one reference per line, in any citation style.
The tool extracts likely titles and queries the CrossRef API for matching DOIs.
Each result shows a confidence score and the matched metadata so you can verify correctness.
Copy your updated reference list with DOIs appended — ready for your manuscript.
This tool is free to use, requires no registration, and collects no personal data. It runs entirely in your browser and communicates only with the public CrossRef API. The usage counters are anonymous aggregate totals — we track how many DOIs the tool has found, not who found them.
If you find the DOI Finder useful in your research, we'd love to hear about it via the Feedback tab. And if you'd like to collaborate with the MRU on tools for higher education, don't hesitate to get in touch.
Metaverse Research Unit
Institute for Artificial Intelligence Systems
University of Johannesburg
hermanm@uj.ac.za
The DOI Finder is committed to transparency. This page explains what data is processed when you use this tool, what third-party services are involved, and the terms under which the tool is provided.
Last updated: February 2026
This website does not set any cookies on your device. No cookie consent banner is required because no cookies are used — not for tracking, analytics, advertising, or session management.
The DOI Finder does not require registration, login, or any form of account creation. We do not collect, store, or process any personal information about you. The reference texts you paste into the tool are processed entirely within your browser and are never transmitted to our servers or stored anywhere.
The feedback form generates a mailto: link that opens your own email client. Your name and email address entered in the feedback form are never stored by this website — they are only included in the email you choose to send.
The website maintains anonymous aggregate counters (total submissions, DOIs suggested, DOIs accepted, and success rate) using Google Firebase Realtime Database. These counters contain no personal information — only cumulative numeric totals. No individual usage sessions can be identified or reconstructed from this data.
The DOI Finder relies on the following third-party services. When your browser connects to these services, your IP address and browser user agent are transmitted as part of standard HTTP communication. This is a technical necessity and applies to all websites.
Used to search for DOIs. Your reference texts are sent as search queries. CrossRef is a non-profit scholarly infrastructure organisation. Their metadata is freely available and not subject to copyright. CrossRef Privacy Policy.
Used solely for anonymous aggregate usage counters. Firebase may collect IP addresses and user agents for operational purposes. No personal data is stored in the database. Firebase Privacy Policy.
Used to load the Inter and JetBrains Mono typefaces. When fonts are loaded, your IP address is transmitted to Google's servers. Google Fonts Privacy. Note: If you are hosting this tool on your own server, we recommend self-hosting the font files to avoid this data transmission.
In accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013, we confirm that this tool processes no personal information as defined under the Act. The anonymous aggregate counters do not constitute personal information. IP addresses transmitted to third-party services listed above are processed by those services under their own privacy policies and are not within our control or access.
If you have any concerns about your personal information in relation to this tool, you may contact the responsible party at hermanm@uj.ac.za.
If you are accessing this tool from the European Union or European Economic Area, please note that the third-party services listed above (CrossRef, Firebase, Google Fonts) may process your IP address on servers outside the EU. This processing is based on the legitimate interest of providing the service (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). No personal data is stored by this tool itself.
The DOI Finder is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, express or implied. While we strive for accuracy, the tool uses automated title-matching algorithms and may return incorrect DOIs. You are responsible for verifying all suggested DOIs before including them in your work.
The Metaverse Research Unit and the University of Johannesburg accept no liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of DOIs suggested by this tool. This includes but is not limited to: incorrect DOIs included in published work, missed DOIs, or any downstream effects of relying on the tool's output.
The confidence scores are indicative only and should not be treated as guarantees of correctness. Always verify suggested DOIs, particularly those with medium or low confidence ratings.
This tool uses the free, public CrossRef REST API under their polite usage policy. Bibliographic metadata returned by CrossRef is considered factual information and is not subject to copyright restrictions. The tool includes a contact email in API requests as recommended by CrossRef's etiquette guidelines.
The DOI Finder tool is developed by the Metaverse Research Unit at the University of Johannesburg. The University of Johannesburg logo and name are trademarks of the University of Johannesburg. CrossRef is a trademark of the Publishers International Linking Association, Inc.
Data Protection Enquiries
Metaverse Research Unit
Institute for Artificial Intelligence Systems
University of Johannesburg
hermanm@uj.ac.za
We'd love to hear from you. Report issues, suggest improvements, or share how the DOI Finder helped your research.