Focus on Crossref Reports: Importance of quality metadata on article level for your journal

[Ina Smith]

Dear Khulisa Editors and Journal Managers,

The below for information only and to help you understand how Crossref DOIs work (for articles using the ASSAf Crossref prefix 10.17159). The report data is for you to use when and as needed.

During the 2 previous Khulisa Lunch Hour Sessions we had a look at statistics and reporting. Below you can find one of the reports we receive from Crossref on a monthly basis. It is not publicly available on a website, and Crossref emails the monthly Resolution Report to ASSAf’s primary contact (please let me know should you also want to receive this report on a monthly basis, so it can be shared with you to inform your reporting). The purpose of the Resolution Report below is to make journals aware of monthly counts of successful vs failed DOI resolutions; it also helps catch broken or never-registered DOIs.

The other reports from Crossref include:

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ASSAf Crossref Participation Report at https://www.crossref.org/members/prep/6689. Search your journal title in the search box.

The report indicates your journal's performance and metadata health according to 11 key metadata elements. These key elements add context and richness, and help to open up content to easier discovery and wider and more varied use. Use your journal's Participation Report to see for yourself where the gaps in your journal’s metadata are, and perhaps compare your performance to others. These reports are free and open to everyone.

 

ASSAf Crossref Conflict Report at https://www.crossref.org/06members/59conflict.html  >>  Academy of Science of South Africa

This report shows where two (or more) DOIs have been submitted with the same metadata, indicating that our journals may have duplicate DOIs. We usually start receiving conflict reports if we have at least one conflict. These reports are sent out on a monthly basis, or more frequently if our number of conflicts peaks by over 500. At ASSAf, I regularly check and resolve any issues, and our 18 Khulisa Journals have no conflicting DOIs.

ASSAf Crossref DOI Error Report

We receive this report immediately when a user informs Crossref that they’ve seen a DOI somewhere which doesn’t resolve to a website, and we immediately act on those.

Lastly - you can also do API calls to Crossref for different data sets. Hope the above helps somewhat!

Kind regards,

Ina

 

From: rep...@crossref.org <rep...@crossref.org>
Sent: Thursday, 06 November 2025 19:02
To: Susan Veldsman <su...@assaf.org.za>
Subject: Resolution Report for prefix 10.17159 from Nov 3, 2025

 

Caution: This is an external email and may be malicious. Please take care when clicking links or opening attachments.

 

Report for Publisher: Academy of Science of South Africa
Resolutions for last 12 months.

New to this report? Start here: learn what a resolution is and how it works

Your failed resolutions report for the month
This section of the report provides a list of DOI resolution attempts that failed (i.e. resolved to a Handle error page). This list is presented as a .csv file attached to the report email and contains both the failed DOI and number of failures.

Your failed DOI resolutions for this month can be viewed in csv format.

Resolutions by month This section of the report provides the total number of resolutions per month for the past 12 months, by prefix (count) and overall (all members).
Months	2025-10	2025-09	2025-08	2025-07	2025-06	2025-05	2025-04	2025-03	2025-02	2025-01	2024-12	2024-11	2024-10
Resolution Attempts	241,453	249,438	215,364	161,257	178,832	169,151	170,796	213,894	151,993	140,998	124,088	148,019	152,448
Resolution Successes	221,281	228,764	193,536	144,048	163,371	150,643	151,924	196,321	139,977	127,694	114,582	135,505	140,423
Total Attempts for all members	2,057,777,392	2,016,148,238	1,689,895,054	1,411,970,444	1,415,525,974	1,506,613,755	1,684,773,842	1,773,602,938	1,436,573,013	1,555,888,380	1,287,302,113	1,400,445,533	1,427,764,935
This month's popular DOIs Below are the top 10 successfully resolved DOIs for this month. This list represents the most popular DOIs, as measured by the number of times each DOI was successfully resolved.
Top 10 DOIs										Successful Resolutions to DOI
10.4314/PELJ.V15I2.11										2,271
10.4314/PELJ.V15I2.12										790
10.4314/SAJAS.V48I5.7										625
10.17159/2413-3051/2013/V24I2A3130										389
10.17159/2617-3255/2025/N39A13										370
10.4001/003.026.0286										368
10.17159/SAJAS.V55I10.02										274
10.17159/2520-9868/I99A08										270
10.17159/2413-3027/2021/V34N1A1										248
10.17159/2520-9868/I98A05										247
Resolutions by the numbers This section of the report provides the resolution counts for the report prefix.
Resolutions attempts							241,453
Resolved at Handle							221,281
Handle Failures							20,172
Resolved at local link server							0
Unique DOIs attempted							26,898
Unique DOIs resolved at handle							19,746
Unique DOIs that failed at handle							7,152
Unique DOIs resolved at local link server							0
Key terms defined from this section Resolution attempts is the same as total "resolutions" above. Resolved at handle is the number of resolutions that successfully looked up at doi.org. Handle failures is the number of resolutions that failed to look up at doi.org, either due to a technical problem or because the DOIs did not exist. Resolved at local link server counts resolutions that were looked up at local link servers.
Successful resolution counts by publication title or type The number of total DOI resolutions per title or type
Publication Title										Total Resolutions		Unique DOIs
20 Years of Excellence 1996 - 2016										15		1
3rd Worldwide Meeting of National Young Academies: One Health – Health and Development										1		1
A Review of Research, Development and Innovation of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technologies in South Africa										8		1
Academy of Science of South Africa Annual Report, 2017-2018										2		1
Achieving Good Governance and Management in the South African Health System										59		1
Achieving Good Governance and Management in the South African Health System: From Recommendations to Action Reflections from the ASSAf Session at the PHASA 2025 Conference										3		1
African Academy Development: Strengthening Southern African Development Community (SADC) Science Academies for better service to society workshop										2		1
African Disability Rights Yearbook										12		3
African Entomology										11,392		975
African Human Rights Law Journal										4,137		322
African Journal on Conflict Resolution										1,048		154
African Natural History										47		5
African Open Science Platform Part 1: Landscape Study										39		1
Air quality offsets as an instrument for air quality management in South Africa										16		1
Air Quality Offsets Roundtable Workshop										11		1
Annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)										1		1
Annual National Scholarly Editors’ Forum (NSEF) Meeting Proceedings Report										10		1
Annual South African Young Scientists' Conference 2016, Human Rights										7		1
ASSAf Annual Report 2016_17										3		1
ASSAf Distinguished Visiting Scholar (DVS) Programme 2023/24										17		1
ASSAf Distinguished Visiting Scholar (DVS) Programme 2024/25										9		1
ASSAf POPIA Compliance Framework for Researchers and Research Institutions										54		1
ASSAf’s Code of Best Practice in Scholarly Journal Publishing, Editing and Peer Review										26		1
Best Practice for Publishers of Scholarly Books and Conference Proceedings										5		1
BRICS Academies Forum 2023: InterAcademy Collaboration on the Global Polycrisis										6		1
Building Profitable and Sustainable Community Owned Connectivity Networks										4		1
Clean Air Journal										3,279		375
CONSENSUS STUDY ON THE STATE OF THE HUMANITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA: STATUS, PROSPECTS AND STRATEGIES										4		1
Consultative Workshop on the Shale Gas Science Action Plan for South Africa, 14-15 March 2019										5		1
Copyright Amendment Bill Workshop Proceedings Report										6		1
CrossMark Policy										9		1
De Jure										2,697		255
Deployment of Open Data Driven Solutions for Socio-economic Value through Good Governance and Efficient Public Service Delivery										2		1
Diversity in Human Sexuality: Implications for Policy in Africa										21		1
EARLY CAREER SCHOLARS PANEL on: The Role of National Academies and Universities in Promoting Human Rights and Enhancing Equality Proceedings Report										14		1
Educational Research for Social Change										3,244		186
Environment and Health Symposium										1		1
Essential facts about Covid-19: the disease, the responses, and an uncertain future. For South African learners, teachers, and the general public										5		1
Evaluation of Alternative Telecommunication Technologies for the Karoo Central Astronomy Advantage Area										3		1
Exploring the Prospects of Using 3D Printing Technology in the South African Human Settlements										7		1
Finding Synergies in the Mathematical Sciences										4		1
First biennial report to cabinet on the state of climate change science technology in South Africa										3		1
Gender and Innovation: Implications for Sustainable Development										1		1
Global Mental Health in an Era of Sustainable Development: Research and Policy Priorities										6		1
Historia										1,401		147
HIV/AIDS, TB and Nutrition: Scientific Inquiry into the Nutritional Influences on Human Immunity with Special Reference to HIV Infection and Active TB in South Africa										4		1
Human Genetics and Genomics in South Africa: Ethical, Legal and Social Implications										34		1
Humanities Part 1: Literature Group Classics, Literature and Languages										1		1
Image & Text										2,761		166
Insights into South Africa’s Participation in the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development of the European Commission										3		1
Journal for the Study of Religion										2,417		224
Journal of Education										5,995		294
Journal of Energy in Southern Africa										6,280		515
Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering										2,921		239
Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy										12,024		1,097
Kronos										1,619		140
Law, Democracy & Development										2,713		227
Legends of South African Science										33		1
Legends of South African Science II										2		1
Local Economic Development in Small Towns, Housing Delivery and Impact on the Environment. Forum proceedings.										4		1
Mental health and the role of traditional healers										6		1
Neonicotinoids and their Impact on Ecosystem Services for Agriculture and Biodiversity in Africa										24		2
Obiter										5,189		952
Old Testament Essays										4,825		406
Opportunities in the Innovation Eco-system for Innovators: From Ideation to Business Development										3		1
Policy Direction, Eradication of Hunger and Achievement of Food Security Conference Proceedings										1		1
Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal										20,748		1,661
Poverty Reduction Proceedings Report: 12th Annual Meeting of African Science Academies (Amasa).										1		1
Poverty, Inequality and Global Climate Change: Connecting the Discussions										5		1
Preventing a tobacco epidemic in Africa										9		1
Priorities for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Research and Services in South Africa webinar										6		1
Proceedings of a Symposium on Our Nuclear Future: Delay or Demise?										1		1
Proceedings of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Conference on Science Advice										5		1
Proceedings report Changing patterns of Non-Communicable Diseases										1		1
Proceedings report of webinar on mental health and bullying										10		1
Proceedings Report SADC Open Science Workshop: Democratising Knowledge through Open Science										3		1
Protection of Intellectual Property for Grassroots Innovation										4		1
Provider core competencies for improved Mental health care of the nation										14		1
Psychology in Society										915		81
Public Lecture: Explore the Frontiers of Safeguarding Research Participants with the Application of Research Ethics Principles – Proceedings Report										14		1
PUBLIC SESSION on the PROGRAMME Role of National Academies and Universities in Promoting Human Rights and Enhancing Equality Proceedings Report										5		1
Recognising individual contributions to collaborative research: limitations of proportional publication counts and proposals for alternatives										19		1
Reconceptualising Health Professions Education in South Africa										33		1
Report on a Strategic Approach to Research Publishing in South Africa										15		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Architecture, Built Environment and Engineering										1		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Communication and Information Sciences										7		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Economics and Business Management										5		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in History, Philosophy and Politics										13		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Humanities II: Visual and Performing Arts										2		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Law and Related Legal Fields										4		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Mathematics and Science										15		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Other Disciplines										20		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Religion and Related Fields (RTRF)										3		1
Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in the Health Sciences and Related Medical Fields										10		1
Report on Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in the Agricultural and Related Basic Life Sciences										4		1
Report on Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in the Social Sciences and Related Fields										2		1
Research, Development, and Innovation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technologies in South Africa - Proceedings Report										8		1
Revitalising Agricultural Education and Training in South Africa (Concise)										32		1
Root Causes of Low Vaccination Coverage and Under-Immunisation in Sub-Saharan Africa Report										9		1
Roundtable on Advancing multisectoral and life-course approaches in mental health research										4		1
SA Orthopaedic Journal										2,131		269
Science Action Plan for Shale Gas Exploration in the Karoo Basin										5		1
Science Business Society Dialogue Conference: Linking Science, Society, Business and Policy for the Sustainable Use of Abandoned Mines in the SADC Region										1		1
Science Business Society Dialogue Conference: Strengthening the Science Business Society Dialogue in the SADC Region										3		1
Science-based Improvements of Rural/Subsistance Agriculture										6		1
Second Biennial Report on the State of Climate Science and Technology in South Africa										1		1
Social determinants of health workshop, 7-8 November 2016										1		1
Social, Psychological and Health Impact of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on the Elderly: South African and Italian Perspectives										17		2
South African Crime Quarterly										4,876		498
South African Dental Journal										4,641		652
South African Journal of Agricultural Extension (SAJAE)										4,442		332
South African Journal of Animal Science										16,276		1,731
South African Journal of Chemistry										2,525		243
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences										1		1
South African Journal of Occupational Therapy										6,325		438
South African Journal of Science										39,587		2,210
South African Journal of Science (component)										225		105
South African Journal of Science (Peer Reviews) (Review Reports)										19		9
South African Journal of Sports Medicine										8,958		690
South Africa’s Technical Readiness to Support the Shale Gas Industry										3		1
Status of Postgraduate Research Training in Engineering in South Africa										2		1
Surveillance and Response to Infectious Diseases and Comorbidities: An African and German Perspective 										2		1
The 5th National Global Change Conference; Transformative Futures for Water Security Seminar										7		1
The District Development Model as a Platform for Innovation for Inclusivity										1		1
The Hidden Crisis: Mental Health on Times of Covid-19										5		1
The implications of COVID-19 for mental health and substance use										3		1
The Independent Journal of Teaching and Learning										1,191		96
The launch of the ASSAf inclusivity initiative for gender equity and persons with disabilities as part of the Science Forum South Africa 2023 panel discussion										9		1
The Launch of the National Rollout of the Municipal Innovation Maturity Index (MIMI) (A tool to measure innovation in municipalities).										3		1
The PhD Study: An Evidence-based Study on how to meet the Demands for High-level Skills in an Emerging Economy										7		1
The Regulatory Implications of New Breeding Techniques										16		1
The Role of Science Diplomacy in Knowledge and Expertise Sharing: The Tunisia–South Africa Experience on Water Management as a Model										4		1
The shale gas industry in South Africa: Toward a science action plan. 31 August – 1 September 2017, Proceedings Report										1		1
The Smart City Initiatives in South Africa and Paving a Way to Support Cities to Address Frontier Issues Using New and Emerging Technologies										3		1
The South African Orthopaedic Journal (SAOJ)										196		30
The State of Biosafety and Biosecurity in South Africa										4		1
The State of Energy Research in South Africa										3		1
The State of Green Technologies in South Africa										3		1
The State of Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity in the SADC Region										15		2
The state of research, development and innovation of electrical energy efficiency technologies in South Africa										1		1
The Uptake of Science, Technology and Innovation by Sector Departments										1		1
The Water-Energy Nexus and the Application of Green Technologies										3		1
Towards a Low Carbon City: Focus on Durban										2		1
Towards Coordinating National Role Players and Activities to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): A Focus on SDG 6 (Water & Sanitation)										1		1
Twelve Years Later: Second ASSAf Report on Research Publishing In and From South Africa										7		1
Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe										4,718		730
Tydskrif vir Letterkunde										6,460		1,188
Water SA										5,915		444
Water SA										13,806		1,369
Water Security Seminar: Sustainable Development Goal 6, Access to Water and Sanitation for all										11		1
Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Trans-disciplinary Approach										1		1
Workshop on Measuring Deprivation in order to Promote Human Development: Proceedings report										1		1
Workshop Proceedings Report GMOs for African Agriculture: Challenges and opportunities										3		1
Yesterday and Today										2,364		168
‘No paraffin! campaign’: national roundtable discussion webinar series										5		1
‘Report on Grouped Peer Review of Scholarly Journals in Education’										12		1

Key terms defined from the failed resolutions report

Unique DOIs attempted is the number of unique DOIs represented in the total "resolutions attempted" from above.
Unique DOIs resolved at handle is the number of unique DOIs represented in the "resolved at handle" count from above.
Unique DOIs that failed at handle is the number of unique DOIs represented in the "handle failures" count from above.
Unique DOIs resolved at local link server is the number of unique DOIs represented in the "resolved at local link server" count from above.
The attached file, if present, contains all of the DOIs that failed to resolve followed by the count indicating the number of times that DOI was attempted.
"na" - means that data is not available for that month and type.

Resolution failure rate
The overall resolution failure rate (the percentage of DOI resolution attempts that failed) for all publishers is 4% and your failure rate is 8%. If your failure rate is significantly above zero or the overall average please investigate to determine the cause.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about this resolution report.

If you have problems with or questions about this report, please contact sup...@crossref.org.

ASSAf Disclaimer: The views and opinions included in this email belong to their author and do not necessarily mirror the views and opinions of the organisation. Our employees are obliged not to make any defamatory statements, infringe, or authorize infringement of any legal right. Therefore, the organisation will not accept any liability for such statements included in emails. In case of any damages or other liabilities arising, employees are fully responsible for the content of their emails. The processing of personal information by ASSAf is done lawfully and not excessive to the purpose of processing in compliance with the POPI Act, any codes of conduct issued by the Information Regulator in terms of the POPI Act and / or relevant legislation providing appropriate security safeguards for the processing of personal information of others.

ASSAf Disclaimer: The views and opinions included in this email belong to their author and do not necessarily mirror the views and opinions of the organisation. Our employees are obliged not to make any defamatory statements, infringe, or authorize infringement of any legal right. Therefore, the organisation will not accept any liability for such statements included in emails. In case of any damages or other liabilities arising, employees are fully responsible for the content of their emails. The processing of personal information by ASSAf is done lawfully and not excessive to the purpose of processing in compliance with the POPI Act, any codes of conduct issued by the Information Regulator in terms of the POPI Act and / or relevant legislation providing appropriate security safeguards for the processing of personal information of others.