User:Fixer/Public/Instructions

This page contains the Frequently Asked questions about submitting the ISBNs from the Fixer/Public page.

What is the process for submitting Fixer's ISBNs ?

For issues related to:

• book eligibility
• book existence
• data quality

see Help:How to work with Records Built by Robots.

As explained in the "Avoiding Data Duplication" section of Help:How to work with Records Built by Robots, occasionally it turns out that a Fixer-built record is a duplicate of an existing publication record in the ISFDB. For this reason it's always best to check the ISFDB database first. If the record is already on file but is missing some of the data found by Fixer, create an Edit Publication submission and add the newly found data.

If the record doesn't exist, determine if other editions of the same book are already in the ISFDB database. If they are, then pick one and use Clone Publication to submit the data found by the robot. If there are no other editions of the same book on file, create a New Publication submission.

Publication and Title Dates

If the ISFDB has other editions of the book on file and the date of the newly identified publication is earlier than the date of the title record, make sure to update the title date.

For ebooks, make sure to add the ASIN to the record.

Choosing the Submission Type

If the ISFDB doesn't have other editions of the same book, use New Publication. If the ISFDB already has at least one other publication of the book:

• Novels: You can use either AddPub or ClonePub. ClonePub is preferred if the new record uses the same cover or interiorart or excerpts at the end as the one already on file.
• Chapbooks, collections, omnibus and anthologies: Always use ClonePub. If the existing publication doesn't have Contents titles, try to fill the content before cloning, wait for the submission to be approved and then clone.
• Magazines and fanzines. You have to use AddPub or NewPub because magazines and fanzines can't be cloned at this time. Remember to come back to import Contents titles.

Multiple Publications for the Same Title

When processing multiple Fixer records for the same title, it is best to submit one, wait for approval and then clone the new publication record. Submit the publication with the earliest publication date first.

I have found additional ISBNs for the same book that are not in the database. Should I add them all?

This is up to you. If you decide to add them, see the previous question.

Adding External Identifiers

If you have found external identifiers (OCLC, LCCN, DNB, etc) for a Fixer record, you can add them to the submission. However, make sure that the identifiers match the publication being submitted.

I have other questions about Fixer-created records

You can ask questions on Fixer's Talk page. The robot maintainer will try to answer them.