What is an ISBN and how do I get one?
Every book you can buy in a shop has a barcode; this isn’t just for scanning at the till, but also contains the book’s identification details. In this way, every book is registered with an ISBN number. In this article, we discuss the background to the ISBN and why you might want to include it in your thesis.
What exactly is an ISBN?
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, which is funny, because we always talk about an ISBN number rather than an ISB number. To apply for an ISBN, you must be a publisher, so as a PhD student you cannot apply for one yourself. However, you can often do so via your printer or university, and of course via a publisher. Since 2007, an ISBN has consisted of 13 digits; this is a sequence of different codes that provide information about the content, the language area and the publisher. Let’s look at an example to show how this works.
An example of an existing ISBN is 9789027439642. Although an expert can distinguish the five elements in this, for clarity the ISBN is often written as 978 90 274 3964 2 or as 978-90-274-3964-2. In this:
- 978 – the EAN code for ISBN
- 90 is the group number for the Dutch language area
- 274: the designation for Het Spectrum Publishers
- 3964: the reference number for the ‘White Booklet’, first edition, 2006
- 2 a check digit
Since the introduction of the 13-digit ISBN, this code has been the same as the barcode. If you assign an ISBN to your thesis, it can be found in 166 countries.
Why get an ISBN?
When you apply for an ISBN, you specify which category it falls into; this is expressed as a NUR code. This ensures that your thesis can be found worldwide within that category. So, when someone asks a bookshop, library or other provider for books related to a particular subject, your thesis will be highlighted.
The cost of an ISBN varies slightly depending on the publisher, but is around 20–30 euros. If the university itself is registered as the publisher, it will be cheaper. The vast majority of PhD students choose to include an ISBN in their thesis, often on the grounds that: “Why not?” and “At least it makes it look official”. Including an ISBN does not mean that a barcode will appear on your book; it is simply listed in the colophon. However, if you wish to sell your thesis, a barcode is necessary.
