DOP: toward an open-source and informative alternative to the DOI linking system

Digital object identifier (DOI) links in scientific publications are not informative. DOIs are not standardized to provide useful information about the published articles, authors’ names, journals’ names, and dates of publication (look at the DOI of this manuscript, it does not tell much about it). Besides, so far there is no free and open-source alternative to the current DOI system. Here, I suggest a new open and free linking and indexation system called DOP (for “Date Of Publication”) based on four main components of any scientific publication: 1) the main author’s name, 2) the journal’s name, 3) the date of publication (hence the denomination “DOP”), and 4) the time of publication. By using these four elements, DOP links are candidly informative, comparable and even memorable compared with the current links of DOI system. For example, a paper published by authors X in journal Y, on date D and time T can have a DOP link identifier as follows: DOP: authorX/JournalY/D/T where D refers to the date of publication per year, month and day, and T refers to the time of publication per hour, minute, and second. By using the date and time of publication per hour, minute and second, DOP links will be easily standardizable and always specific and unique among journals and authors and between them. Subsequently, a large bibliographic database can also be established based on DOP identification links for the indexation and archiving of scientific publications in the various scientific fields.