Template talk:ISSN link

Should not be used directly?
When I came to it, the help given explains that the template should not be used directly. However, there are a large number of times when it would actually be useful to be used directly: specifically when the ISSN number is given in an infobox. The infobox already gives a link to the article on ISSNs so there is no need to use ISSN. I am therefore rewording the advice. TheGrappler 17:54, 27 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Note: the reason the infobox can't use the template itself is because some publications have more than one ISSN number. As a result, ISSN search link would have to be added individually for each number. TheGrappler 18:25, 27 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Additional note: at the moment, the infobox seems to be undergoing revision, it may not be wise to use start applying this template inside particular infoboxes in articles until the final version of the infobox becomes clear. However, I still see no reason why this template should not be used elsewhere if the context is clear. TheGrappler 18:32, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

Database used
At some point the link was changed from Worldcat back to dispatch.opac.ddb.de. Any particular reason for this? (A number of the publications I've looked at recently can't be found at the latter link.) –Unint 14:34, 23 May 2007 (UTC)


 * According to the comments that can be found inside the template, this is because Worldcat "is unavailable" - which is not the case. Needs to be changed back... (let me try and do that.) Schissel | Sound the Note! 05:57, 13 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Changed back per this discussion. Hesperian 06:49, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

worldcat.org redirects to www.worldcat.org (WorldCat URL format change)
When you visit any page at worldcat.org, you are redirected to www.worldcat.org, so to avoid that redirection could someone please add the www. bit? Thanks :) -Paul1337 (talk) 00:37, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

I noticed that this template creates links to WorldCat using http:// worldcat.org/... rather than http:// www.worldcat.org/... Given that http:// worldcat.org/... redirects to the http:// www.worldcat.org/... version and is now the recomended format:, could this template please be changed to point to the www.worldcat.org version in the first place? :)-Paul1337 (talk) 02:01, 8 December 2008 (UTC)
 * ✅. Cirt (talk) 14:20, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 3 March 2014: Use protocol relative URL
Since WorldCat websites support HTTPS, I suggest switching the link to protocol-relative URL. The change is " http://www.worldcat.org " -> "//www.worldcat.org". And here are the testcases. Thanks!

Chmarkine (talk) 05:12, 3 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Jackmcbarn (talk) 13:17, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

Template-protected edit request on 16 September 2017
Please change "//www.worldcat.org/issn/" to "https://www.worldcat.org/issn/" - when using Special:LinkSearch to search for HTTP links, relative links are caught in there as well. Jon Kolbert (talk) 04:05, 16 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done —&thinsp;JJMC89&thinsp; (T·C) 06:32, 16 September 2017 (UTC)

Template-protected edit request on 30 June 2018 - ISSN list vs. first result
Currently, the template delivers the user to the top search result on WorldCat for a particular ISSN (aka "I'm Feeling Lucky"), which can lead to special issues of certain periodicals, or foreign-language version of books to be that first search result rather than the main work. This is because ISSN (unlike OCLC#) is not unique within the WorldCast database, and can be associated with multiple entries. For example: A change of the link is needed to produce the equivalent of doing an "Advanced Search" using the WorldCat search function, and specifying ISSN). While a list isn't ideal, its better than being potentially dropped to a wrong issue/version. Please change instances of  to  .  I've tested in the sandbox (Special:Permalink/848187134) so you can copy the change from there. -- Netoholic @  09:20, 30 June 2018 (UTC)
 * https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1047-8736 results in a special issue directory, but https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=issn:1047-8736 will show that along with the main journal itself (Global Custodian).
 * https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0003-1232 is a Spanish version printed in Berlin, but https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=issn:0003-1232 shows all the volumes associated with The American Sociologist.
 * This looks like a problem on the Worldcat end. If you want to link to Global Custodian instead of the special issue, you should be able to use the actual ISSN for the periodical,, but Worldcat takes you instead to a page where the listed ISSN is 1939-6090. That looks like a problem on the Worldcat end, for which you would need to make a special URL linking the ISSN to the desired page (or contact Worldcat to get them to fix their database). I don't think a link to search page results is what is wanted for 95+% of cases. – Jonesey95 (talk) 19:56, 30 June 2018 (UTC)
 * For linking to a specific WorldCat item we use OCLC number which is a unique key in their database. I agree they're handling of ISSN searches using their shortcut is a bit broken, since it presents the top search result only, when in reality many entries can have the same ISSN. In any case, its misleading to readers and editors for us to use it when a  search results page is slightly better as at least the various versions are listed.  WorldCat has an alternative ISSN search service in the form of http://xissn.worldcat.org/xissndemo/find.htm?issn=0003-1232 which lists associated OCLCs and other related ISSNs (like online versions of print journals) which might be better.  Alternatively, we could link to the ISSN database itself per links like https://issn.org/resource/issn/1047-8736 and leave WorldCat links to the OCLC template. -- Netoholic @  21:37, 1 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Since this template works well for the vast majority of ISSNs, maybe it would be useful to have a parameter like yes that would link to a page of search results. That would allow us to provide the most direct route (just one click) for all ISSNs except ones that Worldcat handles poorly (or where editors explicitly want to show all versions of all publications associated with a single ISSN). If all=yes, a second unnamed parameter would be ignored. – Jonesey95 (talk) 22:08, 1 July 2018 (UTC)
 * This template is embedded in other templates like infobox journal, so I don't think adding another parameter is the right solution. I don't think WorldCat will ever be able to "fix" their link results because ISSN will always be associated with multiple WorldCat entries. ISSN links on Wikipedia should either go to a list of results as my OP presents, or to the ISSN database. I disagree with the idea that this "works well for the vast majority of ISSNs". For any periodicals which have multiple variants, the result from the link will be semi-random, and always incomplete. I took the first 20 Whatlinkshere results for this template and 13 go to a result I'd not classify as the most valuable (a lot, for instance, are confused results showing WorldCats' record for an online/digital version when the ISSN is registered for print). ISSN simply doesn't translate well to the WorldCat entries. Never really has, likely won't ever. If we don't want search results, then I think linking to the ISSN.org website itself provides the next best usage. Infoboxes have an OCLC parameter which people can use already to link to a specific WorldCat item. At best, even when its working right, both would redundantly land the user on the same entry, but even that's rarer than you'd think. -- Netoholic @ 23:12, 1 July 2018 (UTC)
 * FYI, ISSN gives the search results list rather than just one item, so my recommended change in the OP here will also help keep the two templates in line with each other. -- Netoholic @ 10:17, 2 July 2018 (UTC)
 * You read my mind. That's what I was just going to check. There is little sense in having two essentially identical templates that produce different output. I have changed the URL for this template to match that of ISSN. Let me know if you notice anything broken. – Jonesey95 (talk) 14:22, 2 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Maybe this is just my ignorance here, and, but is there any particular reason why we don't just use ISSN.org's official database? For example:  . It also has a search feature to display multiple related entries, like the new WorldCat link that was just implemented. I usually rely on this database for determining which ISSN is the print ("Medium: Print") and which is the eISSN ("Medium: Online"), and also to find the other when I already have one. Has there been previous discussion or consensus about this? Something to do with WorldCat's mission compared to those of ISSN.org? —Nøkkenbuer (talk • contribs) 01:09, 16 July 2018 (UTC)
 * I think it should. The IMDB template links to imdb.com, OCLC links to WorldCat OCLC, etc... so its intuitive that ISSN & ISSN link should link to the primary source website, the ISSN itself. I agree that this would solve a lot of mislabeled ISSN links that confuse online and print mediums because people take the first WorldCat ISSN search result as correct, when its random. -- Netoholic @ 04:40, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

Worldcat URL format for non-journals
Currently this template hard-codes the Worldcat URL parameter "fq=x0:jrnl", which restricts Worldcat search results to the "journal" format. While this is obviously the desired behavior for ISSNs for journals (because it filters out any Worldcat entries for individual articles or the like), it doesn't work so well for magazines or newspapers. So for example when I add an ISSN in the article for The Broad Ax, which uses ISSN link via Infobox newspaper, it unhelpfully links to an empty search result. However, Worldcat does have a result for this ISSN.

For newspaper ISSNs, the preferred behavior would be for the Worldcat URL to use "fq=x0:news". There are presumably some other values of "fq" that might be desired in specific cases (e.g. for magazines). Would it be feasible to add a "format" parameter to the template (defaulting to "jrnl")? Or is there a better way to approach this? -- Visviva (talk) 18:34, 24 December 2019 (UTC)

Using ISSN.org
Per Nøkkenbuer and Netoholic in a previous year's discussion, I'd like to suggest changing the link target from Worldcat to ISSN.org. This would conform to the principle of least astonishment, and also would avoid the issues with the current template's exclusion of non-journals (see above). It seems like a much cleaner solution to that latter problem than adding a "format" parameter as I'd suggested above.

This would of course mean that the template would no longer function as a discovery tool -- the ISSN pages are fairly bare-bones and don't do much beyond verifying that "yes, this is the ISSN for that periodical." But in cases where it's desired to link to Worldcat resources, OCLC would seem like a better tool for the job.

I've trialed the change in the sandbox if anyone wants to test it out. -- Visviva (talk) 15:33, 23 January 2020 (UTC)
 * I find the ISSN.org web page to be unhelpful at best. "Key-title"? "Resource information"? "Title proper"? Who comes up with this stuff? I recognize that worldcat is not perfect, but one advantage of linking to it is that it is a library-oriented web site. The primary purpose of the ISSN on WP pages is to help with verification, which means helping readers locate sources. Worldcat helps locate sources. ISSN.org does not, as far as I can tell. – Jonesey95 (talk) 17:26, 23 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Except when Worldcat gives an error rather than informative search results, though. I don't know, I'm not super thrilled about either option... a format parameter seems like the least-worst idea but it seems like an awfully lot of effort overall to compensate for what seems like an issue at Worldcat itself. -- ▸₷ truthious Ⓑ andersnatch ◂ 11:28, 10 October 2020 (UTC)