What is the ISSN?
The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an international numeric code used to identify serial publications and applies in particular to journals.
The ISSN consists of eight digits separated into two groups of four by a hyphen; the last digit corresponds to a check digit. The ISSN is associated with the registered title of the serial (in journals it is usually on the masthead) and is always the same for all issues of the series; therefore, a change in the registered title or a key change of the serial will result in the assignment of a new ISSN. The ISSN is also associated with the publication format, so that the paper edition is assigned an ISSN and the digital edition has a different one.
The assignment of an ISSN for a series is compatible with the assignment of an ISBN for each volume of the series. In this case, the two numbers must be indicated together in each volume.
Who can apply for an ISSN?
The ISSN can be requested by any entity related to the world of publishing, production, marketing, distribution, processing, dissemination and use of serial publications: publishers, printers, distributors, subscription agencies, booksellers, libraries, documentation centers and indexing and abstracting services. The assignment of the ISSN in Catalonia corresponds to the Biblioteca de Catalunya (Library of Catalonia).
The UAB Publications Service can manage the ISSN for scientific journals with which it has a production or distribution agreement, or for journals that are managed or want to be integrated into the ReDi platform of digital journals of the UAB.
How to apply for the ISSN?
The ISSN request for a serial publication can be made directly at the Biblioteca de Catalunya.
The Publications Service can manage the ISSN for those journals or serial publications that have an official center of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona —central services, faculties, departments, institutes or research groups formally recognized— as the publishing entity of the publication. In these cases, the legal responsible for the ISSN assigned will be, for all purposes, the center that makes the request.