ISSN Explained: Complete Guide for Indian Journal Publishers

The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serves as a unique identifier for serial publications worldwide. For Indian journal publishers, understanding ISSN—what it is, how to obtain it, and what it requires—is fundamental to establishing a legitimate scholarly publication. This guide explains ISSN based on official guidelines from the ISSN National Centre, India and international standards.

What is ISSN?

ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an eight-digit numeric code that uniquely identifies serial publications and continuing resources. Defined by the international standard ISO 3297 (currently ISO 3297:2022), the ISSN system was established to enable clear identification of serials regardless of country, language, or subject matter.

The ISSN takes the form of the acronym "ISSN" followed by two groups of four digits separated by a hyphen—for example, ISSN 1234-5678. The eighth digit is a check digit calculated using a modulus 11 algorithm; this check digit may sometimes be the letter "X" when the calculation results in 10.

According to ISO 3297 and the ISSN International Centre, the ISSN is an "opaque identifier"—meaning the number itself contains no embedded information about the publisher, country, or subject matter. It simply provides unique identification.

What Publications Are Eligible for ISSN?

Based on the ISO 3297 standard and ISSN International Centre guidelines, ISSN is applicable to "continuing resources"—publications issued over time with no predetermined conclusion. Eligible publications include:

Serial Publications: Journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, periodicals, annual reports, conference proceedings published serially, and monographic series with no predetermined end.

Ongoing Integrating Resources: Updating websites, blogs, databases, loose-leaf publications, and institutional repositories that are updated over time.

The ISSN National Centre, India specifically mentions that ISSN can be assigned to "any print or e-serials (new/old) published serially (continuing resources) from India with predefined frequency of publications."

What is NOT Eligible for ISSN

Books (monographs) are not eligible for ISSN—they receive ISBN (International Standard Book Number) instead. Individual monographs within a series may carry both ISBN (for the specific volume) and ISSN (for the series).

According to ISSN India guidelines, the following are generally not assigned ISSN: purely promotional websites, company service pages, personal websites without editorial structure, and publications that do not demonstrate serial/continuing characteristics.

ISSN National Centre, India: Official Authority

In India, ISSN is administered by the ISSN National Centre located at the National Science Library (NSL), which operates under CSIR-NIScPR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research), New Delhi.

The ISSN National Centre, India has been operational since 1986 and is part of the global ISSN Network coordinated by the ISSN International Centre in Paris. The Indian Centre is responsible for assigning ISSNs to serials published in India and contributing Indian records to the international ISSN Register.

In 2015, the ISSN National Centre, India received the ISSN Award from the ISSN International Centre in recognition of its contributions to the ISSN system.

For the latest contact information, application portal links, and updated guidelines, publishers should visit the official CSIR-NIScPR website or the National Science Library ISSN portal directly, as these details may change over time.

ISSN Application Process in India

Based on the official ISSN India Guidelines document published by the National Science Library, the application process involves the following steps:

Step 1: Verify Eligibility

Before applying, confirm your publication qualifies as a serial or continuing resource with a defined publication frequency and intention to continue indefinitely.

Step 2: Prepare Required Information and Documents

The ISSN India Guidelines specify that applicants must provide:

Publisher Verification Documents:

• Self-attested copies of recognised address proof of the publisher (Aadhaar card, Voter ID, Driving License, or similar government-issued identification)
• Complete publisher address and contact details

For Print Publications:

• Copy of the cover page
• Copy of the title page
• Copy of the editorial page showing editorial board details with affiliations
• Minimum 5-6 original articles

For Online Publications:

• Active URL of the publication website
• Title and preliminary details about the journal (scope, aims, frequency)
• Publisher details (name and complete address) displayed on the website
• Editorial board members with institutional affiliations and institutional email addresses
• Minimum 5-6 original articles in each issue, with each article separately hyperlinked
• For subscription-based online journals: temporary user ID and password for ISSN office access

Step 3: Submit Online Application

Applications are submitted through the official portal. After completing the online form, a signed print copy of the application form must be submitted along with the required enclosures to the ISSN National Centre.

Step 4: Processing and Assignment

According to the official guidelines, the ISSN assignment process takes a minimum of 30 working days. Requests involving large numbers of publications may take longer. If information or documents are missing, processing will be delayed.

For online serials, the ISSN India guidelines note that ISSN is assigned only after the first issue is published with sufficient articles as specified in the guidelines.

Step 5: Provisional Assignment and Confirmation

The guidelines indicate that initially assigned ISSN may be in "provisional state." Confirmation occurs after the publisher submits the next published issue—either by registered email for online publications or by sending a hard copy for print publications—and requests confirmation.

Website Requirements for Online Journals (ISSN India Guidelines)

The ISSN National Centre, India has specific requirements for online journal websites. Publishers must ensure their website meets these criteria before applying:

Main Page / Homepage Requirements

The first or main page of the journal website should display the following information:

• ISSN: Once assigned, display the ISSN clearly (separate Print ISSN and Online ISSN if both exist)
• Introductory Text: Brief description about the publication
• Aims and Scope: Clear statement of the journal's objectives and subject coverage
• Publication Frequency: Clearly stated periodicity (monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, annual, etc.)
• Language: Language(s) of publication
• Starting Year: Year of first publication
• Format: Online, print, or both
• Publisher Details: Full name and address of the publisher
• Author Guidelines: Instructions for authors
• Submission Details: Information on how to submit manuscripts

The journal should have a valid URL address and should cover a precise subject or address a specific target audience.

Editorial Board Page Requirements

The website must have a dedicated Editorial Board section displaying:

• Minimum Five Members: At least 5 editorial board members are required
• Full Names: Complete names of all board members
• Designations: Specify roles such as Patron, Editor-in-Chief, Editor, Managing Editor (separately or in brackets after the name)
• Institutional Affiliations: Complete affiliated institutional address for each member
• Institutional Email IDs: Official/institutional email addresses (personal email addresses like Gmail, Yahoo, etc. should be avoided)
• International Journals: Journals with international scope should include editorial board members from multiple countries, not limited to a single nation.

Important: For scholarly journals, editorial board members should be senior faculty members. Students, Research Fellows, etc. as editorial board members of scholarly journals are not acceptable according to ISSN India guidelines.

Note: The ISSN office may send verification emails to randomly selected editorial board members to verify the information provided.

Archive/Issues Page Requirements

The website must maintain properly organized archives:

• Archive Naming: Archives should be named using the journal abbreviation, volume number, issue number, and year (e.g., "JXYZ Vol. 5, Issue 2, 2024")
• Issue Listing: Each issue should list all article titles clearly
• Individual Article Links: Each article must be separately hyperlinked with individual PDF links
• No Consolidated PDFs: Uploading a single consolidated PDF for the entire issue is not acceptable; link to complete consolidated issue should be avoided
• Yearly Updates: Archives should be maintained and updated according to the publication frequency

Article-Level Requirements

Each published article should meet these standards:

• Bibliographic Details: The first page of each article should display the name of the serial/publication, volume number, issue number, and page numbers
• Consecutive Pagination: Each page of an article should be consecutively numbered
• Individual Accessibility: Each article must be accessible separately via its own hyperlink

Minimum Article Requirements

According to ISSN India guidelines:

• Non-Annual Journals: Minimum 5 articles per issue
• Annual Publications: Minimum 10 articles per issue

Journal issues having insufficient number of articles as specified will not be considered complete, and ISSN assignment may be deferred.

Language Requirements

For journals published in languages other than English:

• The website should facilitate translation into English for easy scrutiny of the ISSN application
• An English abstract should be included
• A translated title page is recommended

ISSN Fees in India

According to the official information from CSIR-NIScPR and the ISSN India Guidelines, ISSN assignment in India is provided free of charge. The guidelines explicitly state: "Currently, we do not levy any charges for application processing and allotment of ISSN to the publications."

Publishers should be aware that any third-party service charging fees for ISSN "processing" or "expedited service" is not the official government channel. The legitimate ISSN application is submitted directly to the ISSN National Centre, India at no cost.

ISSN for Print vs. Online Publications

According to both ISO 3297 and ISSN India guidelines, separate ISSNs are required for different medium versions of the same publication. If a journal is published in both print and online formats, each format requires its own ISSN.

Print ISSN (p-ISSN): Assigned to the print/physical version

Electronic ISSN (e-ISSN): Assigned to the online/electronic version

The ISSN-L (Linking ISSN) is a mechanism defined in ISO 3297 that provides a way to link different media versions of the same continuing resource. The ISSN-L is designated by the ISSN International Centre.

The ISSN India Guidelines note: "Using of ISSN assigned to one format for another format is not allowed." Each format must display its correctly assigned ISSN.

If your publication is issued simultaneously on different media (print and online) or in different language editions, separate ISSN requests must be submitted for each edition.

Reasons for ISSN Application Rejection or Revocation

The ISSN India Guidelines clearly outline circumstances that may lead to rejection or revocation of ISSN:

Grounds for Rejection

Incomplete or Inaccurate Forms: The guidelines state that "Incomplete or inaccurate forms will summarily be rejected."

Plagiarism: "We reserve the right to decline an ISSN, if plagiarized article(s) is/are detected or if an article(s) has been reproduced from another publication including conference proceedings, etc."

Misleading Information: The National Centre reserves the right to decline ISSN if misleading information has been provided regarding:

• Place of publication (publisher's address)
• Members of the editorial board
• Referencing by indexing services or databases
• Participation in digital preservation programs
• Authorship of articles

Insufficient Content: Journal issues having insufficient number of articles as specified in the guidelines will not be assigned ISSN.

Unqualified Editorial Board: Having students or research fellows as editorial board members of scholarly journals may lead to rejection.

Website Deficiencies: For online journals, failure to display required information (publisher details, editorial board with affiliations, properly linked articles) on the website may result in rejection.

Grounds for Revocation

The guidelines state: "We reserve the right to revoke an ISSN if it subsequently comes to light that misleading information has been provided."

Additionally, if publishers change publication details after obtaining ISSN without informing the ISSN National Centre, this may lead to revocation. Publishers are requested to inform any such changes to the National Centre.

Where to Display ISSN

Based on international ISSN standards and ISSN India guidelines:

Print Publications: The preferred location is the upper right-hand corner of the cover. Other acceptable locations include the masthead area, copyright page, or publishing statement page.

Online Publications: ISSN should be displayed on the homepage or, failing that, on the main menu or a prominent location. The website should clearly distinguish between print ISSN and electronic ISSN if both exist.

The ISSN should always be presented in the standard format: ISSN followed by a space, then the eight-digit number with a hyphen after the fourth digit (e.g., ISSN 1234-5678).

Note: Publishers should not wait for the ISSN to be assigned to publish an issue (for online publications) as it can be updated on the website later once assigned.

When a New ISSN is Required

According to ISO 3297 and ISSN guidelines, a new ISSN is required when:

Title Change: If the main title of the publication changes significantly, a new ISSN must be assigned. The ISSN is linked to the title (key title), so title changes require new ISSN assignment.

Medium Change: Publishing in a new medium (e.g., starting an online version of a previously print-only journal) requires a separate ISSN for the new medium.

Merger or Split: If two publications merge into one, or if one publication splits into multiple publications, new ISSNs are required for the resulting publications.

A new ISSN is NOT required for:

• Change of publisher (if title remains the same)
• Change of frequency
• Change of place of publication (if title remains the same)
• Minor editorial changes

ISSN vs. Other Identifiers

ISSN vs. ISBN: ISSN is for serials (continuing publications); ISBN is for books (monographs). A book that is part of a numbered series may carry both identifiers.

ISSN vs. DOI: ISSN identifies the journal/serial as a whole; DOI (Digital Object Identifier) identifies individual articles, chapters, or other specific content items. They serve different purposes and both may be used together.

Important Notes for Publishers

No Quality Endorsement: According to ISO 3297: "The assignment of an ISSN to a continuing resource does not imply the ISSN network endorses the content of this continuing resource, nor does it imply any mark of quality about the continuing resource."

No Copyright Implications: ISO 3297 states: "The assignment of an ISSN to a continuing resource shall not imply any meaning or legal evidence with regard to the ownership of rights to that publication or its contents."

Publisher Changes: The ISSN is not changed solely because of a change in publisher or place of publication (provided the title remains the same).

Keep Records Updated: Publishers should inform the ISSN National Centre of any significant changes to their publication.

Verifying ISSN Status

To verify whether an ISSN has been assigned and is valid:

ISSN Portal (International): The ISSN International Centre maintains the ISSN Portal (portal.issn.org) containing over 2.3 million records. This is the authoritative international database for verifying ISSN assignments worldwide.

ISSN India Search: The National Science Library portal provides a search function for checking Indian ISSNs and application status.

Publishers can check their application status through the official ISSN India portal using their application credentials.