Mg-doped ZnO nanofibers with different doping concentrations have been successfully synthesized by electrospinning method. The nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Xray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that Mg doping has little influence on the diameter and surface morphology of ZnO nanofibers, and the nanofibers are crystalline and exhibit the hexagonal structure. The photoluminescence spectroscopy studies indicate that the ultraviolet emissions present blue shift with increasing Mg doping concentration. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.