In addition, data model policy requires that RAs maintain a record of the date of allocation of a DOI name, and the identity of the registrant on whose behalf the DOI name was allocated.

The policy provides a simple test of an RA’s competence: the ability to make a DOI Kernel Declaration, which requires that the RA has an internal system which can support the unambiguous allocation of a DOI name, and is fundamentally sound enough to support interoperability within the network.

The second aim of DOI data model policy is “to ensure minimum standards of quality of administration of DOI names by Registration Agencies, and facilitate the administration of the DOI system as a whole”.