Connect Your Research to the Global Scholarly Record

Reference Linking connects the references in your scholarly publications to the original research they cite—making your articles more discoverable, connected, and easier to navigate.

With Crossref reference linking, publishers can create persistent links between articles, journals, books, datasets, conference papers, and other scholarly works using DOI-based identifiers.

What Reference Linking Enables

🔗 Link References
Connect citations in your publications directly to the referenced scholarly content through persistent DOI links.

🌐 Improve Discoverability
Help researchers move easily between related publications and discover the wider body of research surrounding your work.

📚 Build Connected Research
Create relationships between citing and cited works, contributing to a more interconnected scholarly ecosystem.

✅ Strengthen Citation Integrity
Use persistent identifiers to make references more reliable, consistent, and easier to verify.

How It Works

1. Identify References
Collect the references cited in your scholarly article, book, proceedings, or other content.

2. Match Scholarly Works
Match references with existing scholarly records and DOI identifiers.

3. Create Persistent Links
Add DOI-based links to references so readers can navigate directly to the cited content.

4. Connect the Research Record
Your publications become part of a broader network of connected scholarly content.

Why Reference Linking Matters

A reference is more than a citation—it is a connection between pieces of knowledge.

Effective reference linking helps researchers:

• Find the original sources behind citations
• Navigate between related research
• Verify cited literature more easily
• Discover additional scholarly content
• Strengthen the connectedness of the research record
• Create more persistent and reliable citation pathways

For Publishers & Journals

Reference linking is particularly valuable for academic journals, publishers, conference proceedings, repositories, universities, and research organizations that want to improve the quality and connectivity of their scholarly content.

Connect every reference. Build a more discoverable research ecosystem.

One Citation Can Lead to a World of Research

Reference Linking → Citation → Discovery → Connection → Research Impact

Crossref Reference Linking helps turn static reference lists into connected pathways across the scholarly record.