About Bibliographic Identifiers
What are Bibliographic Identifiers?
Bibliographic identifiers are unique numeric or alphanumeric codes assigned to publications, creative works, and individuals in the publishing industry. They help uniquely identify and catalog items in libraries, bookstores, and databases worldwide.
Supported Identifier Types
ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
Format: 10 or 13 digits
ISBNs uniquely identify books and book-like products. ISBN-13 replaced ISBN-10 in 2007 and uses the EAN-13 format. The number encodes the registration group (country/language), publisher, title, and a check digit for validation.
ISSN (International Standard Serial Number)
Format: 8 digits (displayed as XXXX-XXXX)
ISSNs identify periodicals such as journals, magazines, and newspapers. Unlike ISBNs, they don't encode geographic or publisher information. The last digit is a check digit that can be X (representing 10).
ISSN-EAN
Format: 13 digits (starts with 977)
ISSN-EAN is a 13-digit barcode representation of an ISSN. The tool automatically extracts the original 8-digit ISSN from the EAN-13 barcode number.
ISMN (International Standard Music Number)
Format: 13 digits (starts with 9790)
ISMNs uniquely identify printed music publications. Similar to ISBN-13, it uses the EAN-13 format but always begins with the prefix 9790.
ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier)
Format: 16 digits
ISNIs uniquely identify contributors to creative works including authors, musicians, and other creators. Uses the ISO 7064 11,2 check digit algorithm.
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID)
Format: 16 digits
ORCIDs provide a persistent digital identifier for researchers and academics. They use the same validation algorithm as ISNI but are specifically for research contributors.
Features
- Identifier type detection and check digit validation for ISBN-10, ISBN-13, ISSN, ISSN-EAN, ISMN, ISNI, and ORCID
- Automatic ISBN-10 to ISBN-13 conversion
- ISBN country/language group lookup
- ISSN extraction from ISSN-EAN barcodes
How Validation Works
Each identifier type uses a mathematical check digit algorithm to detect errors:
- ISBN-13 / ISMN: Uses the EAN-13 modulo 10 algorithm
- ISBN-10 / ISSN: Uses modulo 11 weighted sum algorithm
- ISNI / ORCID: Uses ISO 7064 11,2 algorithm
This tool performs all validation using standard algorithms for each identifier type.