ISSN Registration: Online Process, Fees, Eligibility & Requirements

ISSN and ISBN serve different publication purposes.

ISSN is primarily used for serials and continuing publications such as journals, magazines and periodicals.

ISBN is associated with books and other monographic publications.

A publisher should therefore select the appropriate identifier based on the nature of the publication. A continuing journal should not be treated as though it were simply a collection of individual books.

For businesses researching online apply for isbn number, the application route is separate from the ISSN process and should be considered according to the nature of the publication.

Do Online Publications Need an ISSN Before Launch?

Not necessarily.

The ISSN International Centre states that online resources are generally not assigned an ISSN ahead of publication. Its guidance also notes that a first issue should contain sufficient content to be regarded as a complete issue; for new open-access scholarly publications, five articles are indicated as a minimum in the cited guidance.

This is why publishers should not assume that simply creating a website automatically means an ISSN can be assigned immediately.

Common Mistakes During ISSN Application

Publishers can encounter problems when publication information is incomplete or inconsistent.

Common issues include: