![ISSN with addon EAN13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/ISSN_with_addon_EAN13.svg)
An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit
serial number
A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it.
Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...
used to
uniquely identify a
serial publication
In publishing and library and information science, the term serial is applied to materials "in any medium issued under the same title in a succession of discrete parts, usually numbered (or dated) and appearing at regular or irregular intervals ...
, such as a magazine.
The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs are used in ordering, cataloging, interlibrary loans, and other practices in connection with serial literature.
The ISSN system was first drafted as an
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...
(ISO)
international standard
international standard is a technical standard developed by one or more international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use worldwide. The most prominent such organization is the International Or ...
in 1971 and published as ISO 3297 in 1975. ISO subcommittee
TC 46/SC 9
ISO/TC 46 is Technical Committee 46 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), responsible for Information and documentation.
Overview
The scope of the committee is 'standardization of practices relating to libraries, documenta ...
is responsible for maintaining the standard.
When a serial with the same
content
Content or contents may refer to:
Media
* Content (media), information or experience provided to audience or end-users by publishers or media producers
** Content industry, an umbrella term that encompasses companies owning and providing mas ...
is published in more than one
media type
A media type (also known as a MIME type) is a two-part identifier for file formats and format contents transmitted on the Internet. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is the official authority for the standardization and publication o ...
, a different ISSN is assigned to each media type. For example, many serials are published both in
print and
electronic media
Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical means for the audience to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most often created digitally, but do not require el ...
. The ISSN system refers to these types as print ISSN (p-ISSN) and electronic ISSN (e-ISSN). Consequently, as defined in ISO 3297:2007, every serial in the ISSN system is also assigned a linking ISSN (ISSN-L), typically the same as the ISSN assigned to the serial in its first published medium, which links together all ISSNs assigned to the serial in every medium.
Code format
The format of the ISSN is an eight-digit code, divided by a hyphen into two four-digit numbers.
As an
integer number
An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign (−1, −2, −3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language ...
, it can be represented by the first seven digits. The last code digit, which may be 0-9 or an X, is a
check digit
A check digit is a form of redundancy check used for error detection on identification numbers, such as bank account numbers, which are used in an application where they will at least sometimes be input manually. It is analogous to a binary parity ...
. Formally, the general form of the ISSN code (also named "ISSN structure" or "ISSN syntax") can be expressed as follows:
where
N
is in the set , a digit character, and
C
is in ; or by a
Perl Compatible Regular Expressions
Perl Compatible Regular Expressions (PCRE) is a library written in C, which implements a regular expression engine, inspired by the capabilities of the Perl programming language. Philip Hazel started writing PCRE in summer 1997. PCRE's syntax i ...
(PCRE)
regular expression
A regular expression (shortened as regex or regexp; sometimes referred to as rational expression) is a sequence of characters that specifies a search pattern in text. Usually such patterns are used by string-searching algorithms for "find" or ...
:
For example, the ISSN of the journal ''
Hearing Research
The ''Hearing Research'' is a peer-reviewed monthly journal that publishes research work with basic peripheral and central auditory mechanisms.
Indexing and abstracting
According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal has a 2017 impact ...
'', is 0378-5955, where the final 5 is the check digit, that is
C
=5. To calculate the check digit, the following algorithm may be used:
To confirm the check digit, calculate the sum of all eight digits of the ISSN multiplied by its position in the number, counting from the right (if the check digit is X, then add 10 to the sum). The modulus 11 of the sum must be 0. There is an online ISSN checker that can validate an ISSN, based on the above algorithm.
In EANs
ISSNs can be encoded in
EAN-13 bar codes with a 977 "country code" (compare the 978 country code ("
bookland
"Bookland" is the informal name for the Unique Country Code (UCC) prefix allocated in the 1980s for European Article Number (EAN) identifiers of published books, regardless of country of origin, so that the EAN namespace can catalogue books by ISBN ...
") for
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...
s), followed by the 7 main digits of the ISSN (the check digit is not included), followed by 2 publisher-defined digits, followed by the EAN check digit (which need not match the ISSN check digit).
Code assignment, maintenance and look-up
ISSN codes are assigned by a network of ISSN National Centres, usually located at
national libraries
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant wo ...
and coordinated by the ISSN International Centre based in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. The International Centre is an
intergovernmental organization
Globalization is social change associated with increased connectivity among societies and their elements and the explosive evolution of transportation and telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various typ ...
created in 1974 through an agreement between
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
and the French government.
Linking ISSN
''ISSN-L'' is a
unique identifier
A unique identifier (UID) is an identifier that is guaranteed to be unique among all identifiers used for those objects and for a specific purpose. The concept was formalized early in the development of computer science and information systems. ...
for all versions of the serial containing the same
content
Content or contents may refer to:
Media
* Content (media), information or experience provided to audience or end-users by publishers or media producers
** Content industry, an umbrella term that encompasses companies owning and providing mas ...
across different media. As defined by ''ISO 3297:2007'', the "linking ISSN (ISSN-L)" provides a mechanism for collocation or linking among the different media versions of the same continuing resource. The ''ISSN-L'' is one of a serial's existing ISSNs, so does not change the use or assignment of "ordinary" ISSNs; it is based on the ISSN of the first published medium version of the publication. If the print and online versions of the publication are published at the same time, the ISSN of the print version is chosen as the basis of the ''ISSN-L''.
With ''ISSN-L'' is possible to designate one single ISSN for all those media versions of the title. The use of ''ISSN-L'' facilitates search, retrieval and delivery across all media versions for services like
OpenURL
An OpenURL is similar to a web address, but instead of referring to a physical website, it refers to an article, book, patent, or other resource within a website.
OpenURLs are similar to permalinks because they are permanently connected to a re ...
,
library catalogue
A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libraries is also c ...
s,
search engine
A search engine is a software system designed to carry out web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information specified in a textual web search query. The search results are generally presented in a ...
s or
knowledge base
A knowledge base (KB) is a technology used to store complex structured and unstructured information used by a computer system. The initial use of the term was in connection with expert systems, which were the first knowledge-based systems.
Ori ...
s.
Register
The International Centre maintains a database of all ISSNs assigned worldwide, the ''ISDS Register'' (International Serials Data System), otherwise known as the ''ISSN Register''. the ISSN Register contained records for 1,943,572 items. The Register is not freely available for interrogation on the web, but is available by subscription.
* The print version of a serial typically will include the ISSN code as part of the publication information.
* Most serial websites contain ISSN code information.
* Derivative lists of publications will often contain ISSN codes; these can be found through on-line searches with the ISSN code itself or serial title.
*
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...
permits searching its catalog by ISSN, by entering "issn:" before the code in the query field. One can also go directly to an ISSN's record by appending it to "", e.g. https://www.worldcat.org/ISSN/1021-9749. This does not query the ISSN Register itself, but rather shows whether any WorldCat library holds an item with the given ISSN.
Comparison with other identifiers
ISSN and
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...
codes are similar in concept, where ISBNs are assigned to individual
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
s. An ISBN might be assigned for particular issues of a serial, in addition to the ISSN code for the serial as a whole. An ISSN, unlike the ISBN code, is an anonymous identifier associated with a serial title, containing no
information
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...
as to the
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
or its
location
In geography, location or place are used to denote a region (point, line, or area) on Earth's surface or elsewhere. The term ''location'' generally implies a higher degree of certainty than ''place'', the latter often indicating an entity with an ...
. For this reason a new ISSN is assigned to a serial each time it undergoes a major title change.
Extensions
Since the ISSN applies to an entire serial a new identifier, other identifiers have been built on top of it to allow references to specific volumes, articles, or other identifiable components (like the
table of contents
A table of contents, usually headed simply Contents and abbreviated informally as TOC, is a list, usually found on a page before the start of a written work, of its chapter or section titles or brief descriptions with their commencing page number ...
): the
Publisher Item Identifier The Publisher Item Identifier (PII) is a unique identifier used by a number of scientific journal publishers to identify documents.Serial Item and Contribution Identifier
The Serial Item and Contribution Identifier (SICI) was a code (ANSI/NISO standard Z39.56-1996 2002 used to uniquely identify specific volumes, articles or other identifiable parts of a serial. It was "intended primarily for use by those member ...
(SICI).
Media versus content
Separate ISSNs are needed for serials in different media (except reproduction
microform
Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original document size. F ...
s). Thus, the
print and
electronic media
Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical means for the audience to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most often created digitally, but do not require el ...
versions of a serial need separate ISSNs, and
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...
versions and
web
Web most often refers to:
* Spider web, a silken structure created by the animal
* World Wide Web or the Web, an Internet-based hypertext system
Web, WEB, or the Web may also refer to:
Computing
* WEB, a literate programming system created by ...
versions require different ISSNs. However, the same ISSN can be used for different file formats (e.g.
PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
and
HTML
The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaScri ...
) of the same online serial.
This "media-oriented identification" of serials made sense in the 1970s. In the 1990s and onward, with personal computers, better screens, and the Web, it makes sense to consider only ''content'', independent of media. This "content-oriented identification" of serials was a
repressed demand during a decade, but no ISSN update or initiative occurred. A natural extension for ISSN, the unique-identification of the articles in the serials, was the main demand application. An alternative serials' contents model arrived with the
indecs Content Model
indecs (an acronym of "interoperability of data in e-commerce systems"; written in lower case) was a project partly funded by the European Community ''Info 2000'' initiative and by several organisations representing the music, rights, text publi ...
and its application, the
digital object identifier
A digital object identifier (DOI) is a persistent identifier or handle used to uniquely identify various objects, standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). DOIs are an implementation of the Handle System; they a ...
(DOI), an ISSN-independent initiative, consolidated in the 2000s.
Only later, in 2007, ISSN-L was defined in the new ISSN standard (ISO 3297:2007) as an "ISSN designated by the ISSN Network to enable collocation or versions of a continuing resource linking among the different media".
Use in URNs
An ISSN can be encoded as a
uniform resource name
A Uniform Resource Name (URN) is a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that uses the scheme. URNs are globally unique persistent identifiers assigned within defined namespaces so they will be available for a long period of time, even after the res ...
(URN) by prefixing it with "". For example,
''Rail'' could be referred to as "". URN namespaces are case-sensitive, and the ISSN namespace is all caps. If the checksum digit is "X" then it is always encoded in uppercase in a URN.
Problems
The URNs are
content-oriented, but ISSN is media-oriented:
* ISSN is not unique when the concept is "a journal is a set of contents, generally copyrighted content": the same journal (same contents and same copyrights) may have two or more ISSN codes. A URN needs to point to "unique content" (a "unique journal" as a "set of contents" reference).
:Example:
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
has an ISSN for print, 0028-0836, and another for the same content on the Web, 1476-4687; only the oldest (0028-0836) is used as a
unique identifier
A unique identifier (UID) is an identifier that is guaranteed to be unique among all identifiers used for those objects and for a specific purpose. The concept was formalized early in the development of computer science and information systems. ...
. As the ISSN is not unique, the
U.S. National Library of Medicine
The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library.
Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Its ...
needed to create, prior to 2007, the NLM Unique ID (JID).
* ISSN does not offer
resolution mechanisms like a
digital object identifier
A digital object identifier (DOI) is a persistent identifier or handle used to uniquely identify various objects, standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). DOIs are an implementation of the Handle System; they a ...
(DOI) or a URN does, so the DOI is used as a URN for articles, with (for historical reasons) no need for an ISSN's existence.
:Example: the DOI name "10.1038/nature13777" can be represented as an HTTP string by
''https://doi.org/''10.1038/nature13777
, and is
redirected (resolved) to the current article's page; but there is no ISSN online service, like
http://dx.issn.org/
, to resolve the ISSN of the journal (in this sample
1476-4687).
A unique URN for serials simplifies the search, recovery and delivery of data for various services including, in particular,
search systems and
knowledge databases.
ISSN-L (see
Linking ISSN above) was created to fill this gap.
Media category labels
The two standard categories of media in which serials are most available are ''print'' and ''electronic''. In
metadata
Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including:
* Descriptive metadata – the descriptive ...
contexts (e.g.,
JATS
The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subse ...
), these may have standard labels.
Print ISSN
''p-ISSN'' is a standard label for "Print ISSN", the ISSN for the
print media
Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets.
Broadcast media transmit information e ...
(paper) version of a serial. Usually it is the "default media" and so the "default ISSN".
Electronic ISSN
''e-ISSN'' (or ''eISSN'') is a standard label for "Electronic ISSN", the ISSN for the
electronic media
Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical means for the audience to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most often created digitally, but do not require el ...
(online) version of a serial.
ROAD
* (est. 2013), produced by the
ISSN International Centre and
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
See also
*
CODEN
CODEN – according to ASTM standard E250 – is a six-character, alphanumeric bibliographic code that provides concise, unique and unambiguous identification of the titles of periodicals and non-serial publications from all subject areas.
CODE ...
*
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...
—an ISSN-resolve service
References
External links
ISSN International CentreISSN PortalList of 63800 ISSN numbers and titles*
* .
* .
* .
*
*
*
{{Use dmy dates, date=August 2017
Checksum algorithms
ISO standards
Library science
Serial numbers
Unique identifiers