ISSN

ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an eight-digit code that distinctly identifies the titles of periodicals and others “serial resources” published anywhere in the world. ISSN data is stored in a reference base – the international ISSN Register.

What is the purpose of an ISSN?

• You can use an ISSN in citations of technical journals.
• An ISSN is used as an identification code for the requirement of computerized processing, searching and transfer of data. 
• Libraries use ISSN for the identification and ordering of magazines, for the needs of inter-library services and union catalogues. 
• An ISSN is the basic information used for the effective electronic delivery of documents. 
• From an ISSN it is possible to generate an EAN/UCC 13 bar code for the distribution of periodicals.

Czech ISSN National Center

The Czech ISSN National Center is one of 85 national centers that make up the ISSN network. At the request of a publisher or library an ISSN is assigned to a print or electronic newspapers, magazines, scientific journals, conference proceedings, book series and other so-called serial publications published in the Czech Republic. Records are compiled about them in the ISSN national database and in the international ISSN Register.

The assigning of an ISSN is free of charge.

A) Printed serial resources

Conditions for the assignment of an ISSN

The Czech ISSN National Center assigns an ISSN on the basis of written requests on the pertinent form and evidence that the publication has already been published or is being prepared to go to print. Therefore the publisher must send, together with the request, one sample issue (of a title that has already gone to print) or a copy of the title page, masthead or, as appropriate, the cover of the prepared publication. The assigning of an ISSN is free of charge. The ISSN center will enter the record into the database after the first edition or volume has been published.

It is possible to assign an ISSN to a serial, if it conforms to the following definition:

• It comes out periodically under the same title with no predetermined conclusion. 
• It is issued in parts, single issues or volumes with numerical or chronological markings. 
• The publication satisfies the requirements of the printing act No. 46/2000 Coll. as amended. 
• The publishing house of the serial publication has its residence on the territory of the Czech Republic; the residence must be listed in the masthead. 
• If the publication is concurrently issued on two and more different formats (on paper, CD, diskette, internet, et al.), each format will be assigned its own ISSN. 

An ISSN does not need to be assigned in every case – it is unassigned, for example, to the following types of serials:
Inserts and advertising titles, crossword puzzles, business catalogues, titles with narrow local subject matter (e.g. community, town and school bulletins and the like). These resources are not assigned an ISSN even in cases where it conforms to the common definition of a serial.
The Czech ISSN National Center has been given full competency to assign or not assign an ISSN by the ISSN International Center. 
Notice: An ISSN can be used to create an EAN/UCC 13 bar code according to ČSN 97 7116.
The check digit of the EAN/UCC 13 bar code.

B) On-line serial resources

Conditions for the assignment of an ISSN

An on-line serial may be assigned an ISSN if its publisher has its residence on the territory of the Czech Republic. An on-line serial resource must conform to the following definitions:

• It comes out periodically under the same title with no predetermined conclusion. 
• It is issued in parts either with numerical or chronological markings, or in the form of an editorially updated web page containing the full text of its articles. New articles are added with a definite, predetermined periodicity and each article must be marked with the date it was published on the web.
• It has an accessible archive of the full texts of the articles that have been published till this time. 
• When submitting the request for an ISSN, the pages have to be fully functional (full of content). 
• The name/title of the publisher and contact information for the editor's office must be stated on the pages. 
• If the publication is concurrently issued on two and more different formats, each format will be assigned its own ISSN.

An ISSN is not assigned to the following types of resources accessible on the Internet:

• Personal, advertising and publicity web pages, pages that mostly describe products, goods and services, catalogues, gambling, music portals and related pages, web logs, "diaries", on-line bulletins for communities, towns and schools and other sourced containing information aimed at a narrow circle of visitors. For now, these sources are not a priority for the ISSN system.
• Sources that contain just abstracts (annotations) of articles without access to their full text or that largely refer to other pages.
• Sources that are suspected of fulfilling the definition of § 198, 198a and 205 of the Criminal Code (act No. 412/2002 Coll.) 

These resources are not assigned an ISSN even in cases where it conforms to the common definition of a serial resource.

The Czech ISSN National Center has been given full competency to assign or not assign an ISSN by the ISSN International Center.

What is required from the publisher  (on-line serial resources)

The assigning of an ISSN is free of charge. The bibliographic description of the documents and resources that have been assigned an ISSN are stored in the Czech ISSN national database; it is a part of the international ISSN Register. The publisher/editor is therefore obliged to adhere, above all, to the following rules established by the ISSN system:

• An ISSN is assigned a name (inseparably linked with the name) of the on-line serial. This title must therefore be explicitly displayed on the 1st page listed in its heading. If the title is changed during its publishing, it requires the assignment of a new ISSN. 
• The ISSN should be placed near the title; contingently in the section with the publisher's information. 
• All changes to a publication (change of name, change of URL, change of publisher, termination of its publishing et al.) require the publisher to register the change to the Czech ISSN National Center. 
• It is recommended that the ISSN be shown in the source code. 

A publisher can apply for the assigning of an ISSN by filling out and sending of an electronic request form. Together with the request, the Czech ISSN National Center will archive a copy of title-page that shows the connection of the title with its pertinent ISSN number.