Anatomy of a PubID
Every publication identifier can be decomposed into structured components. Let's break down how PubIDs work.
ISO International Standard
ISO 9001:2015ISO/IEC with Amendment
ISO/IEC 17031-1:2020/Amd 1:2022IEEE Standard
IEEE Std 802.3-2018NIST Special Publication
NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5Common Structure
Most PubIDs follow a pattern of: Publisher [Type] Number[-Part]:Year [/Supplement]
But each publisher has unique variations. The PubID metaschema accommodates these differences while maintaining a shared foundation.
Component Reference
Publisher
The organization that published the document. Can be a single publisher (ISO) or joint publishers (ISO/IEC).
Document Type
The kind of document: International Standard, Technical Report, Guide, Specification, etc.
Number
A unique numeric identifier assigned by the publisher.
Part
Many standards are published in multiple parts (e.g., ISO 9001-1, ISO 9001-2).
Year
The year of publication or most recent revision.
Edition
Some publishers track editions explicitly (e.g., Ed 5, Edition 2007).
Stage
Where the document is in its development lifecycle: Working Draft (WD), Committee Draft (CD), Draft International Standard (DIS), etc.
Language
Some identifiers include a language code (e.g., (en) for English).
Supplement
Amendments, corrigenda, addenda, and other supplements that modify a base document.
Next Steps
- Learn about the Metaschema that defines these elements
- Explore Common Elements across publishers
- See PubID Algebra for identifier relationships