Q. What is an ISBN, an ISSN, and a DOI?

What is an ISBN, an ISSN, and a DOI?

ISBN, ISSN and DOI are unique identifiers that can be used to locate resources.

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique number for a book. The number can be either 10 or 13 digits long. Sometimes you may also see eISBN, which specifically refers to the unique number for an eBook.

An example of an ISBN: 9780300219500

An ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is a unique number for a journal. The number is eight digits long, split into two groups of four separated by a hyphen. Sometimes you may also see eISSN, which specifically refers to the unique number for an eJournal.

An example of an ISSN: 0022-3816

A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a string of numbers and letters used to identify a resource. Publishers only began assigning DOIs to resources in 2000, so not all items will have a DOI. A DOI is split into two elements, separated by a forward slash. DOIs always start with 10.

An example of a DOI: 10.1057/9780230353893

How can I find an ISBN, ISSN or DOI?

Use the following search tools to find an ISBN, ISSN or DOI:

• ISBN search
• ISSN portal
• DOI lookup

ISBNs, ISSNs and DOIs can also be found in the following places:

• Library Search - click on a search result and scroll down to 'Identifiers' in the Details section.
• Publisher websites - try looking in the 'About' or 'Information' sections of books, journals and articles.
• Amazon - ISBNs are sometimes listed for books.
• Wikipedia - ISSNs are sometimes listed in entries for journals.