Academic Publishing Validation

1. The academic identifier validation problem

Academic publishing platforms need to validate multiple identifier types at once. A journal submission system must confirm the author's ORCID is valid, the DOI format is correct (and optionally resolve metadata), referenced ISBNs are structurally sound, and the journal's ISSN is registered.

Invalid identifiers cause broken links, failed CrossRef DOI registrations, metadata errors in indexing databases like PubMed and Scopus, and rejected submissions. A single malformed ORCID can block an author from being credited in a deposit.

The solution: validate all relevant identifiers in parallel at submission time, enriching the metadata and catching errors before they propagate into the scholarly record.

2. The four identifiers

3. Step 1: Validate the DOI

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) follows the format 10.prefix/suffix. The endpoint validates:

• Format validation — confirms the 10. prefix and non-empty suffix
• Registrant identification — the numeric prefix identifies the CrossRef registrant
• Metadata lookup — optionally resolves title, authors, publisher, and publication date via CrossRef

Example response

{
  "valid": true,
  "doi": "10.1038/nature12373",
  "prefix": "10.1038",
  "suffix": "nature12373",
  "registrantCode": "1038",
  "registrant": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12373",
  "metadata": {
    "found": true,
    "title": "Gravitational waves from binary pulsars",
    "authors": ["J. H. Taylor"],
    "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
    "type": "journal-article",
    "issued": [[1994, 1]]
  }
}

What to check in your code

4. Step 2: Validate the ORCID

An ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a 16-digit identifier in four groups of four digits (XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX), with the last character being a MOD-11-2 check digit (0–9 or X). The endpoint validates:

• Format and checksum — 16-digit ORCID with MOD-11-2 check
• Public profile lookup — optionally retrieves the researcher's name and institution

Example response

{
  "valid": true,
  "formatted": "0000-0002-1825-0097",
  "uri": "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097",
  "profile": {
    "found": true,
    "givenNames": "Josiah",
    "familyName": "Carberry",
    "organization": "Brown University"
  }
}

What to check in your code

5. Step 3: Validate the ISBN

ISBN (International Standard Book Number) exists in two formats: ISBN-10 (legacy) and ISBN-13 (current standard). The endpoint accepts both and normalizes to ISBN-13:

Example response

{
  "valid": true,
  "format": "ISBN-13",
  "isbn10": "3161484100",
  "isbn13": "9783161484100"
}

What to check in your code

6. Step 4: Validate the ISSN

ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) identifies serial publications (journals, magazines, newspapers). It's 8 digits in two groups of four (XXXX-XXXX) with a MOD-11 check digit (0–9 or X).

Example response

{
  "valid": true,
  "issn": "0378-5955",
  "normalized": "03785955"
}

7. Putting it all together — parallel validation

The following example validates all applicable identifiers in parallel at article submission time. Pass only the identifiers that are present — the function adapts.

import { createClient } from '@isvalid-dev/sdk';

const iv = createClient({ apiKey: process.env.ISVALID_API_KEY });

async function validateAcademicSubmission({
  doi,    // article DOI (optional — may not exist yet for new submissions)
  orcid,  // author ORCID
  isbn,   // for book chapters or book references
  issn,   // journal ISSN
}) {
  const calls = {};

  if (doi) calls.doi = iv.doi(doi, { lookupMetadata: true });
  if (orcid) calls.orcid = iv.orcid(orcid, { lookupProfile: true });
  if (isbn) calls.isbn = iv.isbn(isbn);
  if (issn) calls.issn = iv.issn(issn);

  const keys = Object.keys(calls);
  const results = await Promise.all(Object.values(calls));
  const validated = Object.fromEntries(keys.map((k, i) => [k, results[i]]));

  return {
    doi: validated.doi ? {
      valid: validated.doi.valid,
      url: validated.doi.url ?? null,
      title: validated.doi.metadata?.title ?? null,
      authors: validated.doi.metadata?.authors ?? null,
    } : null,
    orcid: validated.orcid ? {
      valid: validated.orcid.valid,
      uri: validated.orcid.uri ?? null,
      name: validated.orcid.profile
        ? `${validated.orcid.profile.givenNames} ${validated.orcid.profile.familyName}`
        : null,
    } : null,
    isbn: validated.isbn ? {
      valid: validated.isbn.valid,
      isbn13: validated.isbn.isbn13 ?? null,
    } : null,
    issn: validated.issn ? {
      valid: validated.issn.valid,
      issn: validated.issn.issn ?? null,
    } : null,
  };
}

// ── Example: journal article submission ────────────────────────────────────
const result = await validateAcademicSubmission({
  doi: '10.1038/nature12373',
  orcid: '0000-0002-1825-0097',
  issn: '0028-0836', // Nature journal ISSN
});

console.log('DOI  :', result.doi?.valid ? `✓ ${result.doi.url}` : '✗ invalid');
console.log('ORCID:', result.orcid?.valid ? `✓ ${result.orcid.name ?? '(private profile)'}` : '✗ invalid');
console.log('ISSN :', result.issn?.valid ? `✓ ${result.issn.issn}` : '✗ invalid');

// Use DOI metadata to pre-fill citation fields
if (result.doi?.title) {
  console.log('Title (from CrossRef):', result.doi.title);
}

8. cURL examples

Validate a DOI with metadata lookup:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.isvalid.dev/v0/doi?value=10.1038/nature12373&lookup=true"

Validate an ORCID with profile lookup:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.isvalid.dev/v0/orcid?value=0000-0002-1825-0097&lookup=true"

Validate an ISBN:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.isvalid.dev/v0/isbn?value=9783161484100"

Validate an ISSN:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://api.isvalid.dev/v0/issn?value=0028-0836"

9. Handling edge cases

if (doiResult.valid && !doiResult.metadata?.found) {
  // DOI format is valid but no CrossRef record
  // Store the DOI but don't try to pre-fill citation metadata
  console.log('DOI valid — no CrossRef metadata (may be preprint or dataset)');
}

if (orcidResult.valid && !orcidResult.profile?.found) {
  // ORCID is valid but profile is private
  // Accept the ORCID — do not reject the author
  author.orcid = orcidResult.uri;
  author.name = submittedName; // Use user-supplied name
}

function normalizeISSN(raw) {
  // Uppercase, add hyphen if missing
  const clean = raw.toUpperCase().replace(/[^0-9X]/g, '');
  if (clean.length === 8) return `${clean.slice(0,4)}-${clean.slice(4)}`;
  return raw;
}
const result = await iv.issn(normalizeISSN('03785955x')); // → '0378-595X'