P·IPan-African IndexSovereign publication infrastructure
FOR AFRICA, ITS DIASPORA AND EVERY RESEARCH PARTNER

Give your work an identity that lasts.

Register journals, books and research in a permanent, searchable registry. Get a sovereign identifier, link existing ISBNs, ISSNs or DOIs, and make your publications easier to find, cite and preserve.

Start registration See how it works

You can start without an ISBN, ISSN or DOI.

A PUBLIC RECORD CAN CONNECTPSSN · PSBI · PAI
PAN-AFRICAN INDEXPAI-••••••••••••••••••••Illustrative format, not a live assigned identifier.
Journal or serialPSSN
Book editionPSBI
Canonical recordPAI UID
Optional external IDsISBN · ISSN · DOI

Keep ISBN, ISSN and DOI alongside your sovereign identifiers in one place.

WHY IT EXISTS

Publishing should not stop at a registration desk.

A journal can reach readers while its ISSN request remains unanswered. A book can circulate before an ISBN is assigned. PSSN is itself an internationally usable sovereign identifier, issued independently by Pan-African Index. Add ISBN, ISSN and DOI whenever available; all identifiers resolve alongside the same work.

Use a simple form, a CSV upload or a publishing-system connector. Keep your existing workflows and identifiers.
WHO BENEFITS

A practical registry for the people who publish and use knowledge.

01

Publishers & university presses

Keep journals, books, editions and imprints in one place. Make changes without losing the original record.

02

Researchers & authors

Share a stable record that readers can resolve even while other identifiers are pending.

03

Libraries & repositories

Find structured metadata, link editions and retrieve records through an open API.

04

Institutions & reviewers

Separate bibliographic identity from verified metadata and evidence-based ATSS assessments.

SIMPLE FROM THE FIRST DAY

Three steps. One lasting record.

01

Tell us what you publish

Introduce your institution or publication through a short form. Existing international IDs are optional.

02

Confirm ownership and details

A registry steward checks the applicant. Approved publishing accounts can register works using the console or API.

03

Register, link, update

Issue a sovereign identifier, add editions and external IDs later, and keep the public record current.

Join the registry
OJS · CSV · API · OAI-PMH

Works with your publishing tools

OJS, repositories, spreadsheets and bibliographic databases can use the same registry. Import once, receive durable references and keep existing identifiers.

OJS / journal systems

Use OJS article metadata, DOI and the existing public landing pages. Connect server-to-server; no key in browser scripts.

CSV / spreadsheets

Use a simple metadata template, then register batches through a protected endpoint or connector.

API / institutional DB

A small REST interface with scoped keys, duplicate checks and idempotency for safe retries.

See integration options ↗
HOW UNIVERSITIES CAN USE IT

One institution. Many types of work.

These illustrative scenarios show the records a university could manage through one publishing account.

EXAMPLE 01 · UNIVERSITY
K

Kimpa Vita University

Register university journals, annual research series and books. Give each serial or edition a durable identity and one place for its metadata.

PSSNPSBIPAI
EXAMPLE 02 · UNIVERSITY
U

Université Simon Kimbangu (USK)

Connect scholarly journals, articles, monographs, editions and ATSS evidence to stable public records.

PSSNATSSPAI

Illustrative publishing workflows for universities.

ONE REGISTRY · DISTINCT IDENTIFIERS

Your record remains yours.

Every work receives a canonical PAI identity. Serial publications receive a PSSN; book editions receive a PSBI. ISBN, ISSN and DOI are optional related identifiers, not entry tickets.

Serials & journals
P

PSSN

Pan-African Sovereign Serial Number

P-CC-YYYY-NNNN-C
Books & editions
B

PSBI

Pan-African Sovereign Book Identifier

B-CC-YYYY-NNNN-C
Every record
∞

PAI UID

Canonical publication identity

PAI-[20 hex characters]
SEARCH THE PUBLIC INDEX

Find a publication. Verify its record.

Search titles, institutions, sovereign identifiers and linked ISBN, ISSN or DOI values. Imported legacy records are labeled.

Export CSV ↓
255 ResultsSEARCH THE PUBLIC INDEX
TRUST WITH EVIDENCE

Identification, verification and assessment are separate.

A PSSN or PSBI establishes a stable bibliographic identity. Metadata verification checks supporting information. ATSS assessments are recorded only after independent review of evidence and declared interests. Corrections remain traceable.

Read the governance rules ↗
01

African languages and scripts belong in the record.

Titles and metadata may be recorded in African languages and original scripts. Mandombe-compatible text is preserved without forced transliteration, with font and encoding profiles where needed.

Specialized Mandombe fonts must be supplied by their rights holder or site operator.
02

ATSS

ATSS scores require evidence, a declared conflict status and independent approval.

03

JSON API

Public JSON is available for catalogues, libraries, repositories and independent services.

READY TO PUBLISH?

Bring your publications into view.

Start with your institution and the works you want to register. A steward will review the request; publisher credentials are never issued automatically from a public form.

Join / register a publication ↗Standards & API ↗