ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. Numbers in mathematics A number is an abstract entity used originally to describe quantity. ... To publish is to make publicly known, and in reference to text and images, it can mean distributing paper copies to the public, or putting the content on a website. ...

It is similar in concept to the ISBN for books. Indeed some volumes, when published as part of a series, but can also stand alone, are assigned both an ISSN and an ISBN. A concept is an abstract, universal idea, notion or entity that serves to designate a category or class of entities, events or relations. ... The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN (sometimes pronounced is-ben), is a unique1 identifier for books, intended to be used commercially. ... A book is a collection of leaves of paper, parchment or other material, bound together along one edge within covers. ... The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN (sometimes pronounced is-ben), is a unique1 identifier for books, intended to be used commercially. ...

However, ISSNs, contrary to ISBNs, contain no information whatsoever as to the publisher or its location. They are just "dumb" numbers assigned to a standardized version of a serial title. For this reason, a new ISSN is assigned to a publication each time it undergoes any major title change. Information is a term with many meanings depending on context, but is as a rule closely related to such concepts as meaning, knowledge, instruction, communication, representation, and mental stimulus. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ...

ISSNs are assigned by a network of ISSN National Centres, usually located at National Libraries and coordinated by an International Centre based in Paris. The ISSN International Centre is an intergovernmental organization created in 1974 in the framework of an agreement between Unesco and the French Government. A wide variety of systems of interconnected components are called networks. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... An organization is a formal group of people with one or more shared goals. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... In software development, a Framework is a defined support structure in which another software project can be organized and developed. ... Look up Agreement in Wiktionary, the free dictionary An agreement may be an agreement in beliefs, rules, practices (policies), or conduct. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ...

The ISSN International Centre maintains a database of all ISSNs assigned worldwide, associated to records describing the publications thus identified. The ISSN Register contains more than one million entries for periodicals. A database is a collection of information stored in a computer in a systematic way, such that a computer program can consult it to answer questions. ... This article is about the magazine as a published medium. ...

Format

The format of the ISSN is an eight digit number, divided by a hyphen into two four digit numbers.

The last digit, which may be 0-9 or an X, is a check digit.

Thus:

• Rail ISSN 0953-4563

Rail can mean: Rail tracks Rail transport For the group of birds called rails, see Rallidae For the Mayfair Games board games, see Crayon Rails For rail in electronics, see . ...

External link

• http://www.issn.org/