A DOI is not enough if the record also has update or correction status

A DOI is not enough if the record also has update or correction status. The DOI is a strong identifier, but the source note still needs to ask whether the item has a newer edition, correction, withdrawal, retraction, or related update.

Crossref Crossmark is built to expose the current status of a content item, including corrections, retractions, and updates. Crossref also documents update registration patterns where a later notice can update the original record. DataCite metadata has release history and relation fields that can carry version and relation information for research objects. These systems make the identifier more useful, but only if the curator checks the status rather than copying the DOI alone.

A practical DOI source note should include DOI, title, publisher or repository, publication year, checked date, metadata status, update links, and whether the cited claim depends on the original item or the update. If the record says a work was withdrawn or superseded, the source trail should not cite it as a current fact without that boundary.

The useful habit is simple: paste the DOI, resolve it, check the landing page, check update status if available, and record the date of that check. That turns a DOI from a decorative citation into an auditable source route.

A DOI is not enough if the record also has update or correction status

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