Stuck trying to find a journal's ISSN number for a submission form or a reference list? You're not the only one — it's one of the questions we get asked most often by the researchers we support. An ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) works like a journal's identity card: it's the key to citing, indexing and checking whether a publication is genuine. In this guide, we walk you through the four most reliable ways to look up a journal's ISSN, and how to verify what you find.

What Is an ISSN and Why Does It Matter?

Before you search, it helps to know what you're looking for. An ISSN is an eight-digit code in the format XXXX-XXXX, assigned by national centres under the ISSN International Centre. The final digit is a check digit, which is how the system catches typing errors. Two things are worth remembering:

• A journal usually has two ISSNs: a print ISSN (often called p-ISSN) and an electronic ISSN (e-ISSN) for its online edition.
• If a journal changes its name, it normally receives a new ISSN — the old number stays linked to the old title in the records.

Why does this matter to you? Because a correct ISSN makes your citations traceable, helps editors route your submission correctly, and gives you a quick way to check that a journal or conference actually exists.

Method 1: Check the Journal's Official Website or Publisher Platform

The most authoritative route is to go straight to the source. Most legitimate journals display their ISSN in clear places on their own site:

• The footer of the homepage
• The About us page
• The Author guidelines / submissions page

For journals run by major publishers, visit the publisher's platform — Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis and MDPI all list the ISSN on each journal's homepage. Look for the print and electronic ISSNs shown side by side.

The advantage here is accuracy: the publisher's own page is the closest thing to ground truth. The only catch is that you need to know the journal, or its publisher, to begin with.

Method 2: Use Academic Databases and Catalogues

Not sure where the journal lives online? Academic databases are powerful lookup tools in their own right:

• Web of Science and Scopus — search the journal name and its profile page will list the ISSN.
• WorldCat — the global library catalogue run by OCLC, which covers millions of publications.
• Scimago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) — shows journal metrics and the ISSN together, handy for a one-stop check.
• DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) — a trusted catalogue for open-access titles.
• CNKI Journal Navigator — a useful route if you work with Chinese-language journals.

These databases are especially helpful for verifying details in bulk, because they standardise the metadata for thousands of journals.

Method 3: Use the ISSN Portal (the Official Global Registry)

Because the ISSN is an international standard, there's a central authority behind it: the ISSN International Centre in Paris. It maintains the ISSN Portal, the most official lookup service you can find. You can search by:

• Journal title
• Country of publication
• The ISSN number itself

What makes the Portal special is its coverage and authority. It holds records for the vast majority of serial publications registered worldwide, which makes it the ultimate way to confirm that a journal exists and is registered. The basic search is free, and it's the route we recommend for anything that will go through strict academic checks.

Method 4: Combine Search Engines and Academic Platforms

For a quick daily lookup, a little search-engine know-how goes a long way. Try the combination "full journal name + ISSN" in a search box — it usually surfaces the right information fast. A few tips:

• Prefer results from official or academic domains (journal sites, publisher pages, library catalogues).
• Be ready to spot outdated or inaccurate pages; double-check the source before relying on it.
• Use Google Scholar or ResearchGate as a cross-check — their journal metadata sometimes shows the ISSN, but not always.

Think of this method as the fast lane: great for a first answer, less reliable as a final verdict.

Which Method Should You Use?

Each route has its own best use. Here's how we'd sum it up:

• Quick confirmation of a well-known journal → search engines or common databases.
• Strict academic verification or an obscure/small publication → the ISSN Portal or professional databases.
• Everyday workflow → start with the platform you know, then confirm anything doubtful through an official channel.

Our advice: combine methods. Use a fast route to get a candidate ISSN, then verify it through the ISSN Portal when it matters — for example, before you submit a paper to a conference or journal whose details you're not 100 per cent sure about.

FAQs

What does ISSN stand for?
International Standard Serial Number. It's the eight-digit identifier used for journals, magazines and other serial publications worldwide.

Do all journals have an ISSN?
Legitimate academic journals should. The ISSN is assigned when a serial publication registers with its national ISSN centre, so its absence is often a warning sign worth investigating.

What's the difference between ISSN and eISSN?
The ISSN identifies the print edition and the eISSN identifies the electronic edition. Many journals run both, and you may need either depending on where you're submitting or citing.

Can an ISSN tell me whether a journal is trustworthy?
It tells you the journal is registered — but that's not the same as quality. Always combine an ISSN check with other signals, like indexing in major databases and a working editorial process. That said, we support researchers and conference organisers across disciplines, and a mismatch between a journal's claimed name and its ISSN record is one of the fastest red flags there is.

What if a journal's ISSN doesn't match its name?
Don't ignore it. Either the journal has changed its name (new title, new ISSN) or the information is wrong. Check the ISSN Portal record for the title, and contact the publisher if it still doesn't line up — it may save you from a very expensive mistake.

The Takeaway

Finding a journal's ISSN number doesn't have to be a hunt. Start with the journal's own site or a database you trust, escalate to the ISSN Portal when you need certainty, and keep search tricks for the everyday checks.