HomeISSN UK Centre
Terms and conditions for assignment of ISSN
The ISSN UK Centre aims to assign ISSN to appropriate material as speedily as possible. However, our resources are limited and we can be very busy at times so we do ask that you allow sufficient notice for your application - we suggest at least one month before the ISSN is required. In some cases ISSN cannot be assigned in response to an initial application - further information or copies may be required, or enquiries may have to be made of other ISSN Centres, which will take time.
Our commitment:
On request, we will assign ISSN to any title which falls within our remit. Time frames vary with office staffing and workloads but we aim to respond to communications (not necessarily assign ISSN) within the following timescales:
Requests for ISSN submitted via the Web form - 3 working days
Requests made on a printed form (either by fax or post) - 10 working days.
We reserve the right not to process requests made by means other than the forms provided, and incomplete or inaccurate forms will be returned to sender.
We are happy to respond to queries about the ISSN system, and provide information from our records in response to requests, but we reserve the right to limit the amount of time spent on such enquiries.
We operate a telephone enquiry service between the hours of 10am and 12 noon, excluding weekends and holidays. This service deals with queries, and requests for information; ISSN assignments cannot be made over the telephone.
The ISSN UK service:
We are responsible for assigning ISSN to serials published in the UK, including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, and a number of UK dependencies.
A serial is defined as :
A continuing resource in any medium, issued in a succession of discrete parts [and having a common title], usually bearing numbering, that has no predetermined conclusion. Examples of serials include journals, magazines, electronic journals, ongoing directories, annual reports, newspapers, and monographic series.
It is implicit in the definition of a serial that the work should have some form of artistic or intellectual content. In print format, this usually means textual or graphical information. In electronic form, this could also include multi-media content.
To qualify for an ISSN a serial should be of national or international interest i.e. of general interest to readers outside the locality or organisation in which it is produced or published.
An ISSN will be assigned to each physical format of a title eg print, CD-ROM, online. However, if a format is merely a reproduction of an existing work in another format, as is often the case with microfiche and digitised versions of print titles, the original ISSN should be used.
Where a serial is available in a number of editions (i.e. different versions published simultaneously), a separate ISSN will be assigned to each edition. For example, regional editions of a newspaper or magazine with significantly different content, or different language editions of a journal would each be assigned separate numbers. A statement of edition should appear prominently on the serial. Differences which are non-significant include such things as brief editorials, decorative illustrations, advertisements, size, etc
Some items might carry another standard number, such as an ISBN or ISMN; this does not prevent the title also being assigned an ISSN, provided that the usual criteria are met.
The following fall outside the remit of the ISSN UK Centre:
One off publications, including special issues of serial titles.
Works intended to be issued in a finite number of parts, including partworks.
Serials published outside the UK or its dependencies, with the exception of certain multi-national publishers.
Serials which are not intended for general circulation, such as internal newsletters.
Calendars and diaries which do not have significant editorial content.
Posters without significant editorial content.
Titles of magazine packs.
Works of interest only within a specific locality, for example local newspapers and local history publications.
Assignment of more than one ISSN to a title, for example to differentiate between regional prices or free gifts, or for test marketing.
Electronic serials
We will assign ISSN to electronic serials provided that they meet the criteria set out above. We will assign an ISSN to each carrier format of an electronic serial; this means that we will assign an ISSN to the CD-ROM version, and another to the online version. We will not assign separate ISSN to different version within each carrier format - for example, if a title was published on CD-ROM in both Windows format and Macintosh format, we would only assign one ISSN. E-mail distribution is regarded as a sub-form of online. As online publications can be quite complex, we prefer not to assign an ISSN until the resource has been published.
We will only assign an ISSN to a resource on the Internet if it falls within the above definition of a serial, and meets the following criteria:
It must contain significant editorial content; we will not assign ISSN to pages which consist solely or predominantly of links.
It must be updated regularly, and display a numbering system or date to indicate when it was last updated.
It must bear a title which will remain consistent when the resource is updated
We will not assign ISSN to individual or company home pages, including Weblogs.
What we require from you:
In order for us to be able to process your ISSN request efficiently, you should proceed as follows:
For forthcoming publications:
You should submit a form (either on the Web at www.bl.uk/issn, or a printed version) containing the following information:
Title
Proposed date of publication of first issue
Intended frequency
Links to other titles (eg previous titles, supplements)
Drafts of title page and contents page would be helpful, or a copy of a dummy issue if one has been produced.
It is the responsibility of the person or organisation who requested the ISSN to ensure that we receive a copy of the first issue when it is published, in order to complete our records. Please note that, for printed publications published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland, the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 and the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 require that a copy of each issue be deposited with the British Library; further information is available from the Legal Deposit Office (see contact details below).
For existing publications:
Please complete a printed form containing the information as listed above, and send it to us along with:
- for print publications, a copy of a recent issue.
- for CD-ROM or diskette, a sample copy, or a copy of the labelling, documentation and packaging.
For on-line publications, please use the appropriate box on the form to provide us with the direct URL and any password needed to access the publication. Alternatively, send us a printed form along with a printout of the title screen and any other screens giving title or publisher information.
We will return incomplete or inaccurate forms, as we are unable to process requests for ISSN until full information has been received, along with a sample issue if the serial is already being published.
By requesting the assignment of an ISSN, you confirm that the content of your publication is not in breach of UK or French law.
Please note that the information you provide us will form the basis of a bibliographic record, which will be made publicly available through the products and publications of both the British Library and the ISSN International Centre, and through other means. The ISSN UK Centre is therefore unable to guarantee the confidentiality of information submitted as part of an ISSN request.
We reserve the right to refuse to assign further ISSN to individuals or bodies who are deemed to have deliberately provided misleading information, or who have not fulfilled the requirement to provide the Centre with a copy of the first issue of all titles for which ISSN were assigned ahead of publication. We also reserve the right to defer the assignment of an ISSN requested ahead of publication until a copy of the first issue has been received by the Centre.
Contact Details
ISSN UK Centre
The British Library
Boston Spa, Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ
Tel: +44 (0)1937 546959
Fax: +44 (0)1937 546562
Email: issn-uk@bl.uk
Legal Deposit Office
The British Library
Boston Spa, Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BY
Tel: +44 (0)1937 656267 (serials)
Tel: +44 (0)1937 546268 (books)
Email: legal-deposit-books@bl.uk
Email: legal-deposit-serials@bl.uk
Legal Deposit Office webpage
For further information please contact:
The British Library
Metadata Services
Boston Spa, Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ
United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 (0) 1937 546548
Fax: + 44 (0) 1937 546586
Email: bd-info@bl.uk