Direct comparison

Raid Vs Doi: Key Differences & Comparison | CASRAI

A RAiD (Research Activity Identifier, ISO 23527) identifies a research project or activity and links its people, organisations, outputs, and DMPs; a DOI identifies a fixed output or object such as an article, dataset, or software version.

A side-by-side comparison of two research-administration standards

In summary

RAiD and DOI are both persistent identifiers, but they identify different kinds of thing. A RAiD (Research Activity Identifier), standardised as ISO 23527, identifies a research project or activity as a whole and acts as a connecting record, linking the people, organisations, outputs, instruments, and data management plans associated with that activity over its lifetime. A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) identifies a specific, fixed object — a journal article, a dataset, a particular software version — and resolves to it persistently. In short, a RAiD points to an ongoing activity, while a DOI points to a finished object. RAiDs are registered through the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) as the registration authority, whereas DOIs are issued by registration agencies such as Crossref (typically for publications) and DataCite (typically for datasets and software). The two are complementary: a RAiD can reference the many DOIs produced by a project, tying an activity's outputs together. RAiD is newer and still growing in adoption, while the DOI is long-established and ubiquitous.

Side-by-side comparison

Dimension	RAiD	DOI
What is identified	A research project or activity	A specific output or object (article, dataset, software version)
Standard	ISO 23527	ISO 26324
Registration agency	Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)	Registration agencies such as Crossref and DataCite
Granularity	The activity as a whole, spanning many outputs	A single, fixed object
Lifecycle	Spans a project from start to finish; evolves over time	Assigned to a fixed object that does not change
Relationships modelled	Links people, organisations, outputs, instruments, DMPs	Identifies one object; relationships expressed in its metadata
Connecting role	A hub that references the DOIs and PIDs of a project	A leaf that a RAiD or other record can point to
Maturity / adoption	Newer; adoption growing across the research sector	Long-established and near-ubiquitous for scholarly outputs
Example use	Tie together everything produced by a funded project	Cite and persistently link a published article or dataset

Common questions

FAQ

What does a RAiD identify that a DOI does not?+

A RAiD identifies a research project or activity as a whole, acting as a connecting record across its lifetime. A DOI identifies a single fixed object such as an article, dataset, or software version. The RAiD is about the activity; the DOI is about the output.

Who registers RAiDs and DOIs?+

RAiDs are registered through the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) as the registration authority for ISO 23527. DOIs are issued by registration agencies — most commonly Crossref for publications and DataCite for datasets and software.

Do RAiD and DOI compete?+

No — they are complementary. A RAiD can reference the many DOIs and other persistent identifiers generated by a project, linking an activity to its outputs, people, and organisations. They sit at different levels of the persistent-identifier graph.

Is RAiD as widely adopted as the DOI?+

Not yet. The DOI is long-established and near-ubiquitous for scholarly outputs, whereas RAiD is a newer identifier whose adoption is still growing as research infrastructures and funders begin to use it to identify activities.

Going deeper