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Publisher information

Working together

Our commitment to you

  • No charge - we do not charge fees for reviewing your applications
  • Fairness - we assess all journals using the same criteria. Our Guide to applying fully describes these criteria.
  • Confidentiality - we will only share or discuss details and information collected during the review process with the applicant or an entity authorised to represent the journal.
  • Privacy - we will not share your personal data with third parties unless you have permitted us to do so. We will always ask you first.

Your commitment to us

We have a zero-tolerance policy. We will treat you with respect and courtesy. We expect you to do the same.

Emails from us

When you register with us, we use your email address to send important information about your applications, updates and journals. To make sure that our emails reach you, consider the following:

  • Add helpdesk@doaj.org to your contacts.
  • Check your Spam folder. If you see an email from us there, mark it as safe.

Using an institutional email address If you use an institutional email address, your institution may apply extra security measures, such as a firewall. Your IT department administers the firewall. If you aren’t receiving our emails, contact your IT department to see if they can find emails from helpdesk@doaj.org and if they will let them through. If they have concerns about doing this, ask them to contact us.

Applying to DOAJ

Before you submit an application

  1. Read our Guide to applying (available in several languages) and make sure your journal meets all the basic criteria.
  2. If you are applying for the first time, register with us first.
  3. If you already have a DOAJ account, sign in to submit a new application.

A PDF list of the questions is available for your reference. Details of the application process are in the guide.

Rejected applications

If we reject your application, you will receive an email explaining why and how long you must wait before applying again. Read the information in the guide.

Accepted applications

If we accept your application, you will receive an automated email that includes:

  • The URL of your journal record in DOAJ
  • Information on how to log into your publisher dashboard
  • Details on why it is helpful to upload article metadata to DOAJ

If you found your journal in DOAJ but didn’t get an email from us, there are steps you can take to ensure our emails are delivered.

During the review process, we might correct some of the information in your application.

You can submit an update request if something about your journal has changed since you applied.

Your DOAJ account

You can access your dashboard and account settings by logging into your account.

Your publisher dashboard

(You must be signed in to access these links.)

On your dashboard, you can

Settings

The Settings button allows you to:

  • Update your account details
  • Change your password
  • Find your account ID
  • Find your API key

Contact details

  • You are responsible for keeping the name and email address on your DOAJ account up to date.
  • If the contact person changes, log in to your account and edit the details so that DOAJ always knows how to contact you.

Problems logging in

If you cannot log in, you can reset your password. We will send an email containing a reset link. The link is valid for 24 hours.

If you don’t get the email, check your Spam folder and which address you registered with us. If you haven’t received the email after three hours, contact us.

Your indexed journals

To show that your journal is indexed in DOAJ or has the DOAJ Seal:

  • You may use the DOAJ or the Seal logo on your journal's website but not on individual articles
  • You may only use the DOAJ or Seal logo on a platform or portal website if all of the platform's journals are indexed or have been awarded the Seal
  • You can download the DOAJ logos
  • If awarded, you can download the Seal logo from your publisher dashboard

We have guidelines about how you can use our logo on your website or in printed material.

Keeping your journal records up to date

When something changes, you must keep your journal records in DOAJ up to date.

When should I submit an update?

  • When the URLs of your journal change
  • When you change the fees/APCs
  • When journal information or policies change
  • When your journal is included in a digital archive, starts using DOIs, or has an entry in Sherpa/RoMEO

If a member of the DOAJ Team has sent you a CSV file, we ask that you complete it as quickly as possible. Full details are available on our Metadata Help page.

We aim to process update requests within one month.

Journal title changes, mergers or continuations

  • There are specific rules about what to do when a journal changes its title.
  • You must submit a new application if your journal has a new ISSN.
  • We will automatically reject the application if the new ISSN is not confirmed.
  • We will review the two records alongside each other to determine if the new title meets our basic criteria. If not, we will reject the application and withdraw the previous title.

Ceased journals

  • If one of your indexed journals will be ceasing publication, let us know as soon as possible by contacting our Help Desk. When you contact us, include the ISSN and the title of your journal.
  • If another title is continuing the journal, you must submit a continuation.

Journal transfers

If a journal is moving to or from another publisher, let us know as soon as possible by contacting our Help Desk. We need the following information from you:

  • Journal title
  • ISSN
  • Transfer date
  • Name and email address of the old publisher
  • Name and email address of the new publisher

Journal queries

Journal is not listed (is withdrawn)

When we withdraw your journal, we will send you an email. Remind yourself of the email address attached to your DOAJ account and check your Spam folder if you haven’t received anything. The email may include information on how long you must wait before you can apply again.

  • We have to withdraw your journal from DOAJ if it no longer adheres to our criteria or to publishing best practices.
  • We have to withdraw the journal if it is inactive (ceased publishing) or the website is unavailable.

You can also check our log of withdrawn journals and ask for more information by contacting our Help Desk.

Journal is not listed on my dashboard

Unknown journal on my dashboard

In other languages

French - hosted by Érudit

Version history

This is Version 1 of our Publisher information page.