Before you embark on the application process, please ensure you log in or register. This allows you to save your progress and review your responses prior to submission. For your convenience, a downloadable PDF containing the application questions is available.
Basic Inclusion Criteria
Eligible Journal Types
Open access journals in any language are welcome to apply. However, they must adhere to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. The following requirements apply:
- Active Publishing: Journals must publish scholarly research actively, covering any research area, and produce a minimum of five research articles annually. The primary audience should be researchers or practitioners.
- Newly Launched Journals: If a journal is new or has undergone a transition (flipped) to an open-access model, it must demonstrate a publishing history of at least one year or have published a minimum of ten open-access research articles.
Open Access Definition
DOAJ exclusively accepts open access journals. These are defined as journals where the copyright holder grants usage rights under an open license (such as Creative Commons), allowing immediate free access to the content. Users should have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, link to, and use the articles for lawful purposes. Key requirements include:
- An open access statement must be visibly displayed on the journal’s website.
- All content should be freely available without any delays.
- No embargo periods are allowed.
- Users should not be required to register to access content.
- While a fee for the print version is permissible, all content must be accessible online for free.
Journal Website Requirements
- The journal must have its own dedicated URL and homepage that is accessible globally.
- Each article must be available as a unique full-text document, either in HTML or PDF format.
- Journals with intrusive advertising will not be accepted, and the use of Impact Factors or ranking metrics is discouraged. However, journals may display the Journal Impact Factor from Clarivate and metrics from Scopus, provided they do not reference any other ranking services.
- The website does not need to be in English; however, all language versions must contain consistent information.
Essential information that must be readily accessible from the journal’s homepage includes:
- Open access policy
- Aims and scope
- Editorial board details (including institutional affiliations)
- Instructions for authors
- Editorial process (including peer review)
- Licensing terms
- Copyright terms
- Author charges (if applicable)
- If there are no charges, this must be explicitly stated.
- All potential author fees must be listed, including submission, editorial processing, article processing charges (APCs), page charges, and color charges.
- Any waiver conditions must be clearly specified.
- Contact information, including the name of a designated contact person and a dedicated email address. The country listed must match where the publisher operates.
ISSN Requirements
- Each journal must have at least one registered ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) confirmed by issn.org.
- The ISSN(s) should be displayed on the journal’s website.
- The journal’s name in the application and on the website must correspond with the ISSN listing.
Quality Control Process
A journal must have an editorial structure that includes:
- An editorial board, whose members must be listed on the website, detailing their names and affiliations.
- Journals should ideally have at least five editors with appropriate qualifications, with diversity in institutional representation.
- All articles must undergo a quality control system (peer review) before publication, with clear details about the review process outlined on the website.
- A minimum of two independent reviewers must assess each article.
- While the use of a plagiarism detection service is recommended, it is not mandatory for inclusion in DOAJ.
- Efforts should be made to minimize endogeny, ensuring that no more than 25% of published articles in the last two issues feature authors who are also editors, board members, or reviewers. For continuous publications, this threshold applies to the last calendar year (minimum five articles).
Special Issues Criteria
For journals publishing special issues or guest-edited content, the following criteria must be met:
- The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the entire journal’s content, including special issues.
- Articles in special issues must undergo the same editorial and peer review process as regular articles and must be clearly labeled.
- Guest editor credentials must be verified and approved.
- The editorial oversight of guest editors must be managed by the Editor-in-Chief or dedicated board members.
- Submissions to special issues from guest editors must be handled through an independent review process, with their contributions limited to 25% of the total issue.
Licensing and Copyright Requirements
- Licensing terms for published content must be clearly stated on the journal’s website, with a preference for Creative Commons licenses.
- If alternative licensing is used, similar clear terms must be established.
- Licensing information is recommended to be embedded in full-text articles, although this is not required for DOAJ inclusion.
- Copyright terms must be clearly stated and should not contradict licensing terms or the open access policy. The phrase “All rights reserved” is not appropriate for open-access content.
Comprehensive Guide to Applying for DOAJ Inclusion