International Standard Book Number
Enable an agent to recognise an ISBN, assess evidence for its assignment to a publication product, and decide whether to match, retain, correct or refer it for authoritative review.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 19 findings · 34 questions
ISBN representation Capture the identifier as encountered and establish a comparable representation.
Capture and normalization
Separate source transcription from normalized identifier content.
Preserve observed ISBN
Retain the original string and its location alongside any normalized value.
- What exact string was observed, and on which page, cover, feed field or record? provenance
- Which removed characters were presentation separators, and which changes would require a correction hypothesis? action
Legacy equivalence
Distinguish alternative representations from different assignments.
Verify conversion
Record conversion eligibility and the checked counterpart; 979-prefixed ISBN-13 values have no ISBN-10 equivalent. [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/programs/preassigned-control-number/isbn-converter/)
- Does the applicable conversion rule permit an equivalent representation for this ISBN? boundary
- Has the converted value been checked before it is used to merge records? action
ISBN validity Assess mathematical and registration-structure constraints without overstating their implications.
Syntax and check digit
Evaluate the string under the rules for its representation.
Separate validation results
Record syntax and check-digit outcomes separately from publication matching and assignment evidence.
- Which ISBN representation and validation rule were applied? definition
- Do the observed length, characters and check digit satisfy that rule? measurement
- If validation fails, what source evidence supports any proposed correction? action
Registration-range interpretation
Ground element boundaries in authoritative allocation information.
Evidenced element parsing
Require dated range evidence for interpreting the registration-group, registrant and publication elements.
- Which authoritative range information supports the proposed element boundaries? provenance
- Is the range recognized, excluded from ISBN use or unresolved under the consulted information? boundary
Publication referent Determine precisely which publication product the ISBN is asserted to identify.
Bibliographic level
Locate the referent relative to work, expression, manifestation and item.
Identify product level
Record the publication product and avoid treating the ISBN as a universal identifier for its work or individual copies.
- Which title, edition, language and product format are associated with this assignment? definition
- Does the local catalogue attach the identifier to a product-level record, a work aggregate or an individual copy? boundary
Edition, format and components
Evaluate distinctions among related publication products.
Differentiate related products
Different formats require distinct ISBNs; assess edition changes and set or component relationships using assignment guidance. [International ISBN Agency](https://www.isbn-international.org/content/isbn-assignment)
- Is this identifier associated with a paperback, hardback, digital format, complete set or individual component? boundary
- Which documented differences between the compared products affect ISBN assignment? definition
- Should the agent retain the assignment or refer the proposed change for a new-assignment decision? action
Assignment authority Establish who supports the assignment and how strongly the evidence supports it.
Registrant and agency
Connect allocation and assignment assertions to responsible parties.
Trace assignment evidence
Distinguish evidence identifying a registrant from evidence identifying the publication assigned a particular ISBN.
- Which agency or registrant record supports the allocation interpretation? provenance
- Which source explicitly associates the complete ISBN with this publication product? provenance
Metadata agreement
Compare attributed claims without erasing disagreements.
Assess record conflicts
Record disagreements over title, edition, format or publisher and the evidence used to resolve them.
- Which consulted sources agree or disagree about the ISBN's publication referent? provenance
- Do apparent corroborating records derive from the same upstream metadata source? provenance
- What additional evidence is required before accepting a match or merging records? action
Assignment lifecycle and use Control reliance on an ISBN through publication changes, errors and downstream operations.
Changes and corrections
Track reported identifier problems and proposed assignment changes.
Preserve assignment history
Keep original assertions and corrections attributable, and assess suspected reuse rather than silently redirecting the identifier.
- Does the report concern a transcription error, a disputed assignment, suspected reuse or changed publication metadata? definition
- Who authorized the correction, and what evidence establishes its effective meaning? provenance
- Does a publication's withdrawal or unavailability affect this identification decision under the applicable guidance? boundary
Operational reliance
Determine which downstream actions the available evidence supports.
Gate ISBN-based actions
Make lookup, matching, merging and ordering decisions depend on validation and referent evidence; assess rights and availability separately.
- Is the evidence sufficient for lookup, catalogue linking, record merging or ordering this specific format? action
- Which unresolved conflicts require review before the agent relies on this ISBN? action
- Which separate records establish availability or reproduction permission for the intended operation? boundary
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Other names and narrower kinds
- e-book: Lecture Notes Information Theory
What it is Filled
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a standardized identifier assigned to a particular edition and product format of a monographic publication issued by a particular publisher, rather than to its abstract work or an individual copy.
In scope
- ISBN representations, normalization and validation
- Registration-group, registrant and publication-element interpretation
- Evidence connecting an ISBN to a particular publication product
- Edition, language and format boundaries relevant to assignment
- Legacy equivalence, conflicting uses and correction decisions
Out of scope
- Numbers as mathematical quantities and arithmetic objects
- Complete descriptions of works, expressions, manifestations and individual copies
- Copyright ownership, licensing and permission to reproduce content
- Full models of publishers, registration agencies and their organizations
- Barcode graphics, retail inventory and pricing
- Other identifier systems, including ISSN, ISMN and DOI
Why it exists Filled
Enable an agent to recognise an ISBN, assess evidence for its assignment to a publication product, and decide whether to match, retain, correct or refer it for authoritative review.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Functions as an assigned identifier rather than a quantity: adding or ordering ISBN values has no bibliographic meaning.
- Identifies a specific publication product rather than an abstract work or an individual copy. Title, edition and format are material to its referent. [International ISBN Agency](https://www.isbn-international.org/index.php/content/what-isbn/10)
- Requires separate assessments of structural validity and evidenced assignment; a successful check-digit test alone cannot establish the publication referent.
- Can be represented as text or encoded in a barcode; the graphic carrier is distinct from the identifier.
- Supports legacy equivalence only where defined: an ISBN-13 beginning with 979 has no ISBN-10 equivalent. [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/programs/preassigned-control-number/isbn-converter/)
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Assign or print ISBNs that the registration agency has not issued to that publisher.
- Reuse one ISBN for a different edition or format.
- Use an ISBN to pass off an unauthorised copy as the publisher's edition.
- Treat an ISBN as proof of a book's quality or legitimacy.
Only with a human decision
- Requesting or assigning ISBNs on a publisher's behalf.
May
- Validate an ISBN's check digit and look it up in the bibliographic records it may query.
- Distinguish editions and formats by their separate ISBNs.
Moral aspects Filled
- Shared identifiers let libraries, sellers and readers find books; misuse disrupts that commons.
- Pirated editions with copied numbers deprive authors of income.
Who is affected
- Authors
- Publishers
- Libraries and readers
Owners Filled
Steward
The national ISBN registration agency that issues it; the publisher holds each assigned number.
Master systems
- National ISBN agency records
- National library catalogues
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q357404 - registry parent class
- Q420330 - registry parent class
- Q76497 - registry parent class
- Q83378208 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.international-standard-book-number
- Wikidata: Q33057 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33057)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- Observed and normalized representation: Original transcription; normalized identifier string; ISBN-10, ISBN-13 or unrecognized
- Validation assessment: Separate syntax, checksum and allocation-range results: pass, fail or unresolved
- Registration interpretation: Parsed elements linked to dated registration-range evidence and registrant records
- Publication referent: Publication product with recorded title, edition, language, format and set or component role
- Assignment evidence: Unverified, supported, conflicting or authoritatively corrected
- Equivalent representation: Verified ISBN-10/ISBN-13 counterpart, no counterpart or unresolved
- Evidence observation date: Calendar date or timestamp
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- A 13-digit number beginning with 978 or 979, often prefixed ISBN.
- Printed on the copyright page and above a barcode on the back cover.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Normalize an observed ISBN while retaining its original transcription.
- Validate syntax, check digit and range interpretation independently.
- Resolve an ISBN against attributed publication metadata and compare candidate matches.
- Convert eligible legacy representations and record verified equivalence.
- Assess whether a proposed publication change needs assignment review.
- Flag conflicting uses and prepare an evidence-backed correction request.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Duplicate or reused numbers causing wrong orders and records.
- Typos that fail the check digit or point to another book.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- ISO 2108, Information and documentation - International standard book number (ISBN), International Organization for Standardization.
Context of use required Filled
- ISBNs are used in publishing, bookselling and library catalogues to identify particular editions and product formats of monographic publications.
- Agents use them to match publication records, support ordering and distinguish formats, while checking assignment evidence because a correctly formatted number does not prove a valid assignment.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q33057: International Standard Book Number - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: ISBN - general description of the item
Open questions
- Which edition of ISO 2108, ISBN Users' Manual and dated registration-range release will govern implemented validation and assignment decisions?
- How should assignment rules be applied to digital products distinguished by access restrictions, platform packaging or changing content?
- What precise rules govern unchanged reprints, publisher or imprint transfers, withdrawn publications and suspected ISBN reuse?
- How should sets, separately available volumes and mixed-product packages map to the platform's manifestation and product records?
- Which authoritative evidence is accessible when publisher metadata, agency records and library catalogues disagree, and who may resolve the conflict?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q33057/spec.json