CODEN

CODEN is a six-character, alphanumeric bibliographic code, assigned to scientific and technical periodicals (and conference proceedings) by the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), a division of the American Chemical Society. The CODEN system was developed to provide a concise, unique and unambiguous identifier for periodicals, replacing the need for full title citation.

History

The CODEN system was first proposed by Eugene Garfield in 1954, while he was working at the Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins University. The system was later adopted by the CAS in 1961, and has been in use ever since.

Structure

A CODEN is composed of six characters, the first two of which are alphabetic, representing the first two significant words of the title. The next two characters are numeric, representing the volume number, and the last two characters are alphabetic, representing the first and last significant words of the title.

Usage

CODENs are used by libraries and information services to identify and locate periodicals. They are also used in citations in scientific literature, particularly in the field of chemistry.

See also

• International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
• Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN)
• Online Computer Library Center (OCLC)

References

• Garfield, E. (1955). "The CODEN system for periodical titles". American Documentation. 6 (2): 111–117.
• "CODEN". Chemical Abstracts Service. Retrieved 2020-12-01.