Before start

Before you start the application process, you will be asked to log in or register. Once registered you may begin the application process. You can save your progress and review all your answers before you submit them. Please contact us if you encounter any difficulty in the process.

Basic criteria for inclusion
The type of journal that can apply:

  • Open access journals published in any language may apply.
  • Journals must adhere to the principles of transparency and research ethics in publishing.

The journal must be actively publishing scholarly research.
The Journal could be in any research subject area.
The Journals must publish at least ten research articles per year.
Researchers or practitioners must be the primary target audience of the journal.
Newly launched journals
Before applying to DOAJI, a new journal must demonstrate a publishing history of more than one year or have published at least ten open access research articles.
The type of open access
DOAJI only accepts open access journals.
We define these as journals where the copyright holder of a scholarly work grants usage rights to others using an open license (Creative Commons or equivalent). This allows for immediate free access to the work and permits any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose.
Journal website
The journal must have its own dedicated URL and homepage that is accessible from any location.
Each article must be available as an individual, full-text article
  • one unique URL per article
  • HTML or PDF, as a minimum
Quality control process
A journal must have an editor and an editorial board.
The editorial board must be listed on the website.
The name and affiliation of all editors and board members must be included.
Journals that display a list of reviewers must include their names and affiliations.
The editorial board for the journal should consist of at least five editors with appropriate qualifications and expertise. It is recommended that board members should not all come from the same institution.
All articles must pass through a quality control system (peer review) before publication.
The type and details of the peer review process must be stated clearly on the website, including the process for special issues, if applicable.
At least two independent reviewers should review each article.
Use of a plagiarism checking service is highly recommended but not required for inclusion in DOAJI.
The application process
Your application is successfully submitted when you see a Thank You screen and receive a confirmation email.
If you do not receive that email, contact us.
An editor will review your application. You may receive an email alerting you when this process has started.
The editor may need to contact you during the review process. Please answer any questions they send you. This helps us process your application correctly. Be aware that we will reject an application if, after one month, we haven't received answers to our questions.
The editor reviewing your application may be a volunteer and will not have a doaj.org email address. Check your spam folder frequently just in case the emails have ended up there.
If your application is accepted, you will receive an email to confirm this.

Time from submission to decision:

The time from submission to decision varies greatly and depends on the responsiveness of the journal contact and/or applicant. Generally, a decision is reached within three months. We cannot provide a status update for applications which are less than three months old.

If your application is rejected:

You will receive an email giving the reasons for rejection of the application. Do not submit another application for the same journal until six months after the notification of rejection. o You are responsible for providing accurate information when you submit an application. Applications that contain information that is inaccurate or wrong or that have answers missing are automatically rejected. o DOAJI only accepts journals that follow good publishing practice. If our review finds a publisher is not adhering to best practice, has provided information that is untrue or misleading, or has questionable publishing practices, DOAJI will not allow further applications from that publisher for a period of up to three years.

Appeals
Your journal is eligible to submit an appeal if it has been removed from DOAJI or if the application has been rejected, and no new application is allowed for at least one year. Email us in this cases. The appeal should contain the following information:
  • Journal title
  • Journal ISSN
  • Reason for appeal
  • Evidence for the DOAJI Appeals Committee to consider
  • The original notification of rejection/removal
  • Appeals are considered by the DOAJI Appeals Committee, consisting of the Head of Editorial and members of the editorial team. Committee meetings are held monthly. After your case is discussed, a member of the Committee will contact you with the result of your appeal. This will not be the same Managing Editor who handled your case originally.