About the References category

Reference linking enables researchers to follow a link from the reference list to other full-text documents, helping them to make connections and discover new things.

To link references, you don’t need to be a Crossref member. Reference linking means including Crossref DOIs (displayed as URLs) when you create your citation list. This enables researchers to follow a link from a reference list to other full-text documents, helping them to make connections and discover new things. And because it’s a DOI rather than just a link, it will remain persistent.

There’s no charge for reference linking but it is an obligation of membership. Reference linking is required for all Crossref members and for all current journal content. We’d encourage you to also add reference linking for backfile journals, and for other content types.

You can read more about this service, as well as accessing multi-lingual factsheets and short videos, in our education documentation on our website.

Please use this topic to post questions, join a discussion, or help another member with issues related to Reference Linking.