The ISSN-L for publications on multiple media

When a publication is published on several media, a linking ISSN is assigned so that the media can be easily grouped and the contents are easier to manage.

• What is an ISSN-L?
• Why an ISSN-L?
• Reference to the ISSN-L on your publications
• Changing an ISSN-L
• Finding the ISSN-L of a publication

What is an ISSN-L?

The linking ISSN, or ISSN-L, is a specific ISSN that groups the different media of the same serial publication.

A single ISSN-L is designated for all media of a serial publication, irrespective of how many there are.

A serial publication is associated with a single ISSN-L.

Examples:

• Publication on a single medium
  ISSN-L 1748-7188
  Electronic resource: Algorithms for molecular biology = ISSN 1748-7188
• Publication on two media
  ISSN-L 0264-2875
  Printed version: Dance research = ISSN 0264-2875
  Electronic version: Dance research (Online) = ISSN 1750-0095
• Publication on three media
  ISSN-L 1188-1534
  Printed version: Plant varieties journal (Ottawa) = ISSN 1188-1534
  Electronic version: Plant varieties journal (Ottawa. Online) = ISSN 1911-1479
  CD-Rom version: Plant varieties journal (Ottawa. CD-Rom) = ISSN 1911-1460

Why an ISSN-L?

An ISSN-L simplifies the search, recovery and delivery of data for various services including, in particular, search systems and knowledge databases.

Reference to the ISSN-L on your publications

To use the ISSN-L optimally, you should clearly show it on each version of your publication.

The ISSN-L takes the following form:
– the acronym ISSN-L is shown in capitals,
– followed by a space,
– followed by two groups of four digits, separated by a hyphen.

The number must always be preceded by the ISSN-L acronym.

Changing an ISSN-L

A new ISSN-L is assigned to your publication if the titles of all of the media are changed substantially at the same time.

In this case:

• each version receives a new ISSN, and
• the publication receives a new ISSN-L.

Example:

Printed version:
Acta Physiologica Scandinavica (Print)= ISSN 0001-6772 and ISSN-L 0001-6772
Electronic version:
Acta Physiologica Scandinavica (Online)= ISSN 1365-201X and ISSN-L 0001-6772

Finding the ISSN-L of a publication

The ISSN-L of a publication can be accessed in various ways:

• on a table listing the ISSN-Ls with the corresponding ISSNs, available on the ISSN International Centre’s website,
• in the ISSN International Portal: each record includes the medium’s ISSN and the publication’s ISSN-L, as separate data element,
• through the ISSN International Centre and the ISSN National Centres: for each newly assigned ISSN, the centres inform the publishers of the corresponding ISSN-L,
• on the publications themselves, which should clearly indicate the use of an ISSN-L.