ISSN

What Is an ISSN?

An ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is a unique eight-digit identifier used to identify a serial publication, such as an academic journal, magazine, newspaper, or continuing publication.

For academic publishing, an ISSN helps distinguish one journal from another, even when journals have similar or identical titles. It is an important part of journal metadata and supports the organisation, identification, and discovery of scholarly publications.

For Afropus, ISSNs are particularly relevant because journals are an important part of the planned index of African scholarship. A reliable journal identifier can help connect a publication with its journal record and other information needed for research discovery.

How Does an ISSN Work?

An ISSN consists of eight digits, usually written in two groups of four separated by a hyphen, such as:

1234-5678

The final character can also be an X, which represents the number 10 when used as a check digit.

An ISSN identifies the serial publication itself rather than a specific article within it. This makes it different from a DOI, which is commonly used to identify an individual research article or other specific research object.

Why Is an ISSN Important for Academic Journals?

An ISSN provides a standard way to identify a journal across publishing and information systems.

It can help:

• distinguish journals with similar names
• identify a specific serial publication
• support library and cataloguing systems
• organise journal metadata
• improve consistency across indexing systems
• connect journal records across different scholarly databases
• help researchers identify the correct journal

This becomes increasingly important as journals are distributed across publishers, repositories, libraries, indexes, and other research discovery systems.

Print ISSN and Electronic ISSN

A journal can have different ISSNs for different formats.

Print ISSN

A print ISSN (p-ISSN) identifies the print version of a serial publication.

Electronic ISSN

An electronic ISSN (e-ISSN) identifies the electronic version of a serial publication.

A journal may therefore have both a print ISSN and an electronic ISSN. These identifiers can help distinguish different publication formats while maintaining their relationship to the same journal.

ISSN and Journal Metadata

An ISSN is one component of the metadata associated with an academic journal.

A journal record may also contain information such as:

• journal title
• publisher
• subject or discipline
• publication format
• website
• publication frequency
• editorial information
• geographic or institutional affiliation

Together, these details help researchers and discovery systems understand what a journal is and how it fits within the scholarly publishing ecosystem.

For a research index, having consistent journal identifiers can make it easier to organise records and reduce confusion between publications with similar names.

ISSN and African Academic Journals

African academic publishing includes journals covering a wide range of disciplines and research communities. These journals contribute to the production and dissemination of scholarship across the continent.

An ISSN can provide an important identification point when researchers are trying to distinguish one African journal from another or locate information about a specific publication.

This is particularly relevant to research discovery because journal visibility is not only about whether a journal exists online. Researchers also need reliable information that helps them identify and evaluate the publication they have found.

ISSN and Afropus

Afropus is being developed as a new index for African scholarship, with academic journals forming an important part of its planned research discovery coverage.

Within Afropus, journal information can help users discover publications and understand where African research is being published. An ISSN can serve as a stable identifier within that journal information, helping distinguish a particular journal from others with similar titles.

This supports Afropus’s broader goal of making African research easier to find and connect. A journal can be associated with its research outputs, researchers, institutions, topics, and disciplines, while identifiers such as ISSNs help maintain accurate distinctions between publications.

Afropus is not an ISSN registration authority and does not assign ISSNs to journals. Its role is to support the discovery and indexing of African scholarship.

ISSN and Journal Discovery

Journal discovery depends on more than a journal title. Titles can change, different journals can have similar names, and publications can exist in both print and electronic formats.

An ISSN provides a standard identifier that can help discovery systems distinguish between these publications.

For Afropus, this type of structured journal information can contribute to more reliable records as the planned index brings together information about African journals and the research published through them.

ISSN vs. DOI

The two identifiers serve different purposes.

A DOI commonly identifies a specific research object, such as an individual journal article.

An ISSN identifies a serial publication, such as the journal in which that article is published.

An article can therefore have its own DOI while the journal containing it has an ISSN.

What an ISSN Does Not Tell You

An ISSN identifies a serial publication, but it does not by itself indicate that a journal is prestigious, peer reviewed, reputable, indexed in a particular database, or of a particular academic quality.

Researchers should consider additional information when evaluating a journal, including its editorial practices, peer review process, publishing information, and other relevant criteria.

For Afropus, journal identification is one part of the wider discovery and indexing process. The presence of an ISSN should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the journal’s academic quality.

FAQs

What does ISSN stand for?

ISSN stands for International Standard Serial Number.

What does an ISSN identify?

An ISSN identifies a serial publication, such as an academic journal, magazine, newspaper, or continuing publication.

Do academic journals need an ISSN?

An ISSN is a standard identifier used to identify serial publications. Whether a particular journal is required to have one depends on its publishing and registration context.

Can a journal have more than one ISSN?

Yes. A journal can have separate ISSNs for different formats, such as a print ISSN and an electronic ISSN.

Is an ISSN the same as a DOI?

No. An ISSN identifies a serial publication such as a journal, while a DOI commonly identifies a specific research object such as an article.

Does having an ISSN mean a journal is credible?

No. An ISSN identifies the publication but does not establish its quality, peer review status, reputation, or inclusion in a particular index.

How does ISSN information help Afropus?

ISSN information can help Afropus distinguish and organise journal records within its planned index of African scholarship, making journal discovery more structured and reliable