How it works
ORI connects each scholarly publication to a stable identifier and to a public page with open metadata. A record goes through four stages: identification, registration, resolution and maintenance — and its identifier stays the same through all of them.
01 · Identification
A code made to last
Every record receives a code with the institution responsible for it and its order of registration. Nothing in it depends on the title or the website, so it never needs to change.
- Permanent address without the prefix: https://oriregistry.org/10001/2026.0001.
- Identifiers issued before, in the form ORI-7K4M9Q2XT8RB, stay valid and keep their addresses.
- Never reused: a code issued once belongs to that publication forever, even if it is never published.
02 · Registration
From the journal to ORI
Only participating journals register records. They choose the channel that fits their editorial system:
ORI dashboard
Editors fill in the record form, attach the full text and follow the registration queue.
WordPress connector
Journals on WordPress (Oxton Journals) register each article automatically when it is published.
REST API
Any editorial system (Open Journal Systems or an in-house one) can send records with a journal credential.
What ORI checks before issuing
- Title and type
- Authors and ORCID iDs
- Affiliations and ROR
- Journal and ISSN
- Dates
- License
- DOI (when it exists)
- Relations to other records
- Duplicates
- Article page online
When the journal requires it, the request waits for approval by the institutional administrator. Uniqueness is guaranteed by the database, even when many requests arrive at the same moment.
Life cycle of a record
- DraftBeing prepared. No identifier yet.
- ReservedCode issued before publication, not public.
- PublishedPublic page, metadata and citation.
- Withdrawn / RetractedStill public, with a notice and the reason.
An identifier can be reserved when an article is accepted and activated on the publication date. A reservation that never becomes public is cancelled, but its code is never given to another publication.
03 · Resolution
One code, always the right place
The identifier resolves to the record on the ORI site, which points to the article wherever the journal keeps it.
https://oriregistry.org/ORI:10001/2026.0001Public page of the record: metadata, citation in several styles, files and history.https://oriregistry.org/ORI:10001/2026.0001?redirect=1Sends the reader straight to the article on the journal website.https://oriregistry.org/ORI:10001/2026.0001?format=bibtexExports the record in BibTeX; also format=ris and format=json.https://oriregistry.org/wp-json/ori/v1/resolve/ORI:10001/2026.0001Public API: status, addresses and DOI of the record as JSON, for other systems.https://oriregistry.org/oai?verb=IdentifyOAI-PMH: harvesting of all public metadata by indexes and repositories.
04 · Maintenance
A record that stays correct
Every change is a version
Journals can update the metadata at any time; each update becomes a new version in the public history of the record.
New website, same identifier
When a journal moves, only the article address in the record changes. Citations that use the ORI keep working.
Corrections and retractions
Withdrawals, retractions and expressions of concern are shown on the record page with their reasons. Records are never deleted.
Preservation
Full texts deposited in ORI are kept with a checksum and a second copy, checked on a regular schedule and packaged in BagIt.
Ready to register your journal?
Read the integration guides or apply to participate.