Definition

An edition statement is a word or phrase appearing in the resource that normally indicates a difference in either content or form between the resource and a related resource. An edition statement can often be identified by the use of words such as edition, issue, level, state, update, and version, or their equivalents in other languages. Numbers and/or statements of responsibility may also appear with an edition statement. Under RDA, the edition statement is a transcribed element and no abbreviations are used unless they appear in the source used for the edition statement.

A statement of revision, including the word revised (or its equivalent in other languages) alone, with modifications, or as a modifier, is an edition statement.

An edition statement may include a personal, corporate, or family name as a statement of responsibility.

A phrase that includes only the word revised and a personal name, however, is not an edition statement. The following italicized phrases are statements of responsibility (use field 245 subfield ǂc), not edition statements.

A statement such as abridged or unabridged (or their equivalents in other languages) alone, with modifications, or as a modifier, is an edition statement.

A statement indicating the pre-publication state of a resource (proofs, galleys, advance copies, etc.) is an edition statement.

An edition statement may include information about new material.

A phrase that includes only information about new material is not itself an edition statement. The following italicized phrases about new material are part of the statements of responsibility (use field 245 subfield ǂc), not edition statements.

Edition statements appearing on some non-English language publications (e.g., French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, etc.) reflect printing information rather than edition information. These statements may sometimes appear in conjunction with the printer's name and/or the number of copies printed. Statements that reflect only the number of copies printed (e.g., Erstes bis drittes Tausend) or that combine an edition/printing number with the number of copies printed (e.g., 9. édition, 23. mille) may be transcribed in a quoted note or omitted from the WorldCat record entirely. In all cases where statements reflect multiple printings/”editions” with the same year of publication (e.g., 3ème. tir., 5ème. tir., and 7ème. tir., all published in 2003) or in a clear and relatively concise sequence that spans more than a single year (e.g., 1a. edición: septiembre de 2017 through 8a. edición: marzo de 2018), and with all other relevant bibliographic elements being the same, use the existing record. You may omit or remove the printing/edition statement, and optionally add a note such as Edition statements vary on different printings of this edition. In all cases, use judgment. If this type of printing/edition statement is important to your institution, follow the guidelines outlined in section 3.4.1, Copy- or Institution-Specific Information. For more information, see 250 Edition Statement ǂa Edition statement in chapter 4: When to Input a New Record.

For information on punctuation, see the Punctuation section below.

Guidelines

RDA 2.5.1.4 allows for the creation of an edition statement when "a resource lacks an edition statement but is known to contain significant changes from other editions." Bracket the supplied information.

Use field 250 for supplied edition statements if different items have identical descriptions. Use separate records for different editions as long as the editions can be identified.

The following categories of different editions may have identical titles. Use separate records for such editions:

• Geographic editions (e.g., West Coast edition)
• Special group or special interest editions (e.g., Dry cleaners' edition or Edition pour le medicin)
• Special format or physical presentation statements (e.g., Airmail edition, Braille edition, Library edition, or Microform edition)
• Different language editions if the original title exists on the title page along with an edition statement
• Reprint or reissue statements that indicate a reissue or revision of a serial as a whole
• General editions (e.g., editions that contain complete contents, whereas their special editions have only portions of the contents)

For all bibliographic formats, use field 250 for statements relating to versions of manuscript works or collections that exist in two or more versions or states in single or multiple copies (e.g., different manuscript drafts of a film script).

In the cooperative environment of WorldCat, OCLC recommends continuing to follow the spirit of AACR2 LCRI 2.2 for multipart sets that include volumes showing different edition statements and to disregard RDA LC-PCC PS 2.5.1.6.1. If you choose to create a separate bibliographic record for each volume, use field 250 for the edition statement in each particular volume. If you choose not to analyze individual volumes, create one bibliographic record for the set of volumes even though they bear different edition statements because the publisher supplies such volumes at the same time or there is explicit evidence that one or more of the volumes is continuously revised. In these situations, make a general note about the mix of editions.

Do not note editions that differ only in advertising content.

For continuing resources, do not use field 250 for sequential edition statements, such as 1st edition, 2nd edition, etc., when used as issue designations. This type of information is contained in field 362.

Use for computer files that have statements referring to the file itself, not just to the documentation. Evidence of a new edition of a file may be:

• The appearance of an explicit edition statement relating to the file
• Significant additions or deletions to the contents of a monographic file
• Significant changes in the structure of content of the field (e.g., a change in program language)

Do not make new edition statements for the following:

• Additions or deletions to a serial or integrating resource
• Changes in the arrangement of a file's contents
• Changes in the physical format of input, output, or storage
• Changes of a minor nature

Describe such changes in local notes.

Use for a particular voice range or format for notated music (as distinguished from a statement of the medium of performance) that is not grammatically linked to the title, or for other title information considered an edition statement, regardless of whether it includes the word edition or its equivalent.

Use also for statements indicating a particular format or physical presentation of the music, such as Full score or Score and parts. Such statements were formerly recorded in field 254.

Use also for certain statements that involve the contribution of a person, family, or corporate body, which were previously recorded as part of the statement of responsibility in field 245 subfield ǂc.

1st Indicator

Undefined. The 1st indicator position is undefined and contains a blank.

	Undefined

2nd Indicator

Undefined. The 2nd indicator position is undefined and contains a blank.

	Undefined

Subfields

Punctuation

For records containing ISBD punctuation, follow these instructions:

• Optionally, follow an initial subfield ǂ3 by a colon-space or a space-colon-space if following an open date
• Precede subfield ǂb beginning with a parallel edition statement by a space-equals-space
• Precede subfield ǂb beginning with a statement of responsibility by a space-slash-space
• Precede any parallel statement within a subfield by a space-equals-space
• Precede any statement of responsibility within a subfield by a space-slash-space
• Precede any subsequent statement of responsibility by a space-semicolon-space
• Enclose any text within brackets as required by cataloging instructions
• Include incidental punctuation needed within any subfields, e.g., commas, periods (following abbreviations or initials), etc.
• Optionally, add a terminal period at the end of the field unless the last subfield ends with an ellipsis or period (following an abbreviation or initial)

For records containing non-ISBD punctuation, see the cataloging instructions used to create the record.

For records containing minimal or no punctuation, follow these instructions:

• Include a space-equals-space as the first element in subfield ǂb beginning with a parallel edition statement
• Include brackets and punctuation needed within any subfields
• Otherwise, omit the punctuation outlined in the ISBD punctuation section above

For more information on punctuation, including OCLC policy, see section 2.8, Punctuation.

Indexing

Field 250 is not indexed.

MARC 21

For more information, including content designator history, see MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data, field 250.