On International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
Royal Danish Library assigns ISSN numbers to periodicals, such as journals, newsletters, newspapers and yearbooks in both printed and electronic form.
Photo: Thomas Søndergaard
ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an international numbering system used to identify publications that are published on a regular basis, e.g. newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs, etc., both printed and electronic. These publications are referred to as periodicals.
Royal Danish Library provides ISSN numbers for periodicals. You can contact us for an assignment of ISSN to your journal. On this page you will find the application form and practical information about ISSN.
Apply for an ISSN number
The benefits of ISSN
- ISSN identifies any title in any language, anywhere in the world. Each periodical is assigned an individual and immutable number according to international standard. One ISSN represents one title. One thus avoids confusion with other titles.
- ISSN is used by libraries, booksellers and others to identify titles, to order and claim periodicals.
- ISSN can simplify interurban loans and can be used in the work with joint catalogues.
- Searching ISSN in databases provides fast title retrieval.
- An ISSN that has been used once can never be assigned to another periodical.
Which publications are awarded an ISSN?
As the definition of a periodical is very broad, each national center can itself limit the range of periodicals allocated an ISSN.
ISSN Denmark assigns ISSNs to significant periodicals in any medium, which are broadcast in successive parts with alphabetical, numerical and/or chronological designations, and which do not aim for an end".
Periodicals include e.g. newspapers, periodicals and yearly publications (including certain publications that are regularly published in new editions).
How to get a ISSN?
If you do not already have an ISSN, please contact Royal Danish Library via the application form. If your journal has already been published, you can upload a copy of the journal's title page and colophon (publisher information) in the form below. Then we send an ISSN. If the title of your journal changes, ISSN must also change and thus also the barcode.
Key title
Every periodical has its key title. It is usually the title, as found on the title page, that forms the basis of the key title.
If the title consists only of words such as report, yearbook, writings, newsletter, etc., or is identical with the title of another publication, one must add necessary qualifiers such as the publisher's name, place of publication, etc. to distinguish these titles from each other.
In other cases you have to add e.g. (Online) or (English ed.) to distinguish between two or more editions with the same title.
Supplements are assigned to their own ISSN if they have their own numbering, as well as parallel versions of periodicals in different languages.
ISSN is inextricably linked to the key title, therefore a periodical that changes title must be assigned to a new ISSN.
