DOI vs ISSN

DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) are both unique identifiers used in the academic and publishing world, but they serve different functions: DOI: Primarily used for digital content, such as journal articles, research papers, datasets, and other online materials. It provides a permanent, stable link to a specific digital object, ensuring that the resource can always be accessed, even if its location (URL) changes. DOIs are essential for academic citation, allowing researchers to easily reference and retrieve sources. ISSN: Used to identify serial publications like journals, magazines, and newspapers. The ISSN is assigned to a specific title and is not linked to individual articles within the publication. It helps libraries, publishers, and databases catalog and track ongoing serial publications across various platforms. In essence, DOIs are for identifying individual digital articles or resources, while ISSNs are for identifying the ongoing titles of serial publications.