What is ISJN?
ISJN is a unique identifier system for academic journals, providing standardized name resolution for scholarly publications. It simplifies access to journal websites, making scholarly communication more efficient.
International Standard Journal Name
The ‘Domain Name’ for Academic Journals
An easy way to access journal identification and resolution
A free resolver built on a unique five-letter A–Z journal identifier.
Trusted by
22,249Assigned ISJNs in the Database
10,204Publishers
6,000+Daily Active Users
How It Works
Accessing journal homepages used to be a cumbersome process. With ISJN, you can quickly and effortlessly navigate to a journal's official webpage using a standardized and easy-to-remember identifier.
Get Started
Register Your JournalA simple, standards-led pathway
Get Your ISJN in 3 Simple Steps
ISJN assignment is completely free. There is no paid or premium route.
1
Obtain an ISSN
Apply through the appropriate ISSN National Centre or the ISSN International Centre and obtain a valid serial identifier for your journal.
Learn about ISSN ↗2
Be Indexed in DOAJ
Apply to the Directory of Open Access Journals and meet its transparency, openness, and publishing-practice requirements.
DOAJ application guide ↗3
Receive Your ISJN
Eligible journals are assigned a unique five-letter uppercase ISJN and become resolvable through ISJN.org using their official journal homepage.
Ask about an assignment →Help & policy
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Eight quick answers about the new ISJN system.
What is ISJN?+
International Standard Journal Name (ISJN) is a journal identifier and web-resolution system designed for academic journals. Each assigned journal receives one unique five-letter code that can be used as a compact, memorable journal identity.
What format does an ISJN use?+
Every ISJN consists of exactly five uppercase English letters from A to Z, for example JSPIN. Numbers, punctuation, spaces, and lowercase forms are not used in the canonical identifier.
Is obtaining and using an ISJN free?+
Yes. ISJN is completely free. There are no premium identifiers, registration charges, annual fees, renewal fees, or paid priority options.
How does a journal become eligible for an ISJN?+
The standard path is: obtain a valid ISSN, meet the requirements for inclusion in DOAJ, and then receive an ISJN assignment through the ISJN registry workflow. This helps keep the registry focused on verifiable scholarly journals.
Does ISJN replace ISSN or DOAJ?+
No. ISSN, DOAJ, and ISJN serve different purposes. ISSN is the established serial identifier, DOAJ is an open-access journal directory, and ISJN provides a compact alphabetic journal name identifier and resolver. They are complementary.
Can a publisher choose any five-letter code?+
ISJN codes are assigned under a standardized naming and uniqueness process rather than sold or reserved. The code is derived from the journal name while avoiding collisions with codes already assigned in the registry.
Can an ISJN be transferred or changed?+
An assigned ISJN is intended to remain permanently linked to the journal it identifies and is not transferable to another journal. Material title changes or metadata corrections can be reviewed by the ISJN team.
Where does the journal information shown by ISJN come from?+
The new ISJN service shares the OAJF scholarly database and combines journal metadata and signals from sources such as DOAJ, Crossref, and OpenAlex. The resolver points users to the journal’s official homepage. Corrections can be sent to info@isjn.org.