International Standard
Serial Number
” Supporting knowledge discovery, through trusted identification”
The reference digital hub for continuing resources
We help you identify and discover the serial publications valued by your community.
What is the
International
Standard Serial Number?
An ISSN is an 8-digit code used to identify continuing resources. A continuing resource is a resource, on any medium, that is published indefinitely over time.
For example, newspapers, journals, magazines and periodicals, of all kinds and on all media–print and electronic, are continuing resources.
The role of the
ISSN
International Centre
The CIEPS, also known as the ISSN International Centre, is an intergovernmental organization which manages at the international level the identification and the description of serial publications and ongoing resources, print and online, in any subject.
Nice to meet you. Are you...
Are you a librarian working with periodicals?
We have the right tool for you.
Once identified, serial publications join the ISSN register. You can access parts of our database freely.
For advanced usage, we offer various paid subscriptions to best suit your needs.
ISSN Portal Full Access
With full access to the ISSN Portal, you can use the manual search engine to find out about publishers, relationships, history, and much more. Use advanced search filters, and display or export in multiple formats.
Search API Access
Extend your service by connecting it to our Search API. Following the SRU standard, our API allows you to perform advanced search in the ISSN registry and download resulting records. ISSN Portal Access is included.
Automated OAI-PMH Sync
Automatically sync your database with the latest updates to the ISSN registry. Choose your sync frequency and scope to best fit your needs.
Automated OAI-PMH Sync
Submit ISSNs or Titles and get the corresponding metadata. Or submit your use case and see what we can do with your data.
Our Sales team can give you individualized guidance.
Are you a publisher?
Get an ISSN for your serial publication
” Unique identifier. Global visibility.”
ISSN in the trusted way to identify your publication at an international level and make it discoverable throughout the world.
We are working on bringing the whole ISSN experience to this new portal. For now, you will be redirected to the former portal to handle your ISSN request.
2,009,000
serial publications with a trusted
identifier throughout the world
ROAD, Keepers Registry and Transfer Alerting Service
Within the ISSN Portal, discover Open Access Resources (ROAD), Publications’ archiving status (Keepers) and Transfer history (Transfer Alerting Service).
Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources
Launched in 2013, ROAD provides a free access to those ISSN bibliographic records which describe scholarly resources in Open Access.
The Keepers Registry
The Keepers Registry acts as a global monitor on the archiving arrangements for continuing resources. Archival status and details are freely accessible via the ISSN Portal, no subscription required.
Transfer Alerting Service and history
Transfer history helps you track journal ownership, while the Transfer Alerting Service lets you follow general ownership movements of publications you’re interested in.