Crossref

Business Profile

Core Value Proposition

Crossref provides open infrastructure to link research objects, entities, and actions, creating a lasting and reusable scholarly record that underpins open science.

Target Customer

Researchers, publishers, libraries, funders, and other scholarly organizations that participate in metadata exchange and DOI registration.

Key Differentiator

Open, globally connected infrastructure with 23,000+ members in 163 countries and a suite of specialized services (e.g., GLS, OFR, Similarity Check, Cited-by, Metadata Plus, Crossmark) that power billions of API queries for scholarly communication.

Implementation Timeline

Not explicitly specified for implementation; references ongoing activities such as Metadata Awards and Board Elections in 2025

Pain Points

1Need for a persistent, reusable scholarly record to underpin open science
2Need for standardized metadata to improve discoverability and interoperability
3Efficiently linking grants, funders, and research outputs

Key Features

1Grant Linking System (GLS)
2Metadata Retrieval
3Open Funder Registry (OFR)
4Similarity Check
5Cited-by
6Metadata Plus
7Event Data
8Crossmark
9API access

Target Customer Industries

Decision Makers

1Editor-in-Chief

Client Results

1Supports nearly 2 billion monthly API queries
223,000+ members in 163 countries
3Improved discoverability, transparency, and provenance of published research; aligns with FAIR principles

Competitive Advantages

1Open infrastructure with broad global membership and high API usage
2Specialized services for metadata richness and linking (OFR, GLS, Crossmark, etc.)
3Commitment to open science and interoperability (FAIR principles, UNESCO Open Science)

Key Benefits

1Improved discoverability and transparency of research outputs

2Standardized metadata and richer linking across research objects

3Wide API access powering research workflows and analytics

Case Studies & Success Stories

Raising the standard: GigaScience Press on metadata and discoverability

Case #1

Article describing Crossref’s metadata practices and awards, highlighting how high-quality metadata improves discoverability, transparency, and provenance; discusses objectives and alignment with FAIR principles for Open Science.

Additional Product Information

Product Description

Crossref provides open infrastructure to link research objects, entities, and actions and to register DOIs, enabling metadata exchange and a reusable scholarly record to support open science.

Target Market

Scholarly publishers, research institutions, libraries, funders, and other organizations involved in scholarly communication and metadata management.

Unique Value Proposition

An open, interoperable infrastructure trusted by a large global community enabling robust metadata exchange, DOI registration, and tools to improve discoverability and access to research.

Technical Requirements

Not explicitly specified in the provided content.

Pricing Model

Membership tiers with price ranges: small members $0-$1,650; large members $3,900-$50,000 (used for determining board seats).

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