What is the difference between ISSN and ISBN?
• The ISSN identifies the title of a serial and stays the same from issue to issue unless the title changes, at which point a new ISSN needs to be assigned. • The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) represents a single volume such as a novel, a monograph, a specific title within a monographic series or a specific issue of an annual or yearbook. ISBN are issued by the UK ISBN Agency. The two systems are complementary and can be used together on the same publication. On an annual, for example, the ISBN will identify a specific volume (e.g. 1996 edition, 1997 edition) whilst the ISSN identifies the title and stays the same each year. ISBN should not be assigned to specific issues of periodicals and should not usually be assigned to any title published more frequently than once a year. A fundamental difference between the two systems / numbers is that the stem of the ISBN identifies the publisher whereas the ISSN contains no publisher identifier. The ISSN is a purely arbitrary number
