Applying to DOAJ: Requirements and How to Prepare
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) is the most widely recognised open access directory for academic journals. This guide explains DOAJ's current acceptance criteria and how ScholarJMS helps your journal meet them.
Why DOAJ Matters
DOAJ listing is a quality signal recognised by Scopus, Web of Science, and most institutional funding bodies. Many research councils require that funded research be published in DOAJ-listed journals. DOAJ listing also improves discoverability — Google Scholar, PubMed, BASE, and other harvesters prioritise DOAJ-listed journals.
Core Requirements
DOAJ evaluates journals against these mandatory criteria:
Fully Open Access
All content freely available online with no embargo period. Hybrid journals (open access + subscription) are not accepted.
ISSN
A valid ISSN assigned by the national ISSN centre. For online journals, an eISSN is required.
At Least One Published Volume
The journal must have published at least one complete volume (or 5 articles) before applying. New journals without publication history are not eligible.
Peer Review
A documented peer review process must be described on the journal website. DOAJ accepts any type (single-blind, double-blind, open) as long as it is transparent.
Licensing
A Creative Commons licence (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, etc.) must be displayed on every article page and clearly stated in the journal's open access policy.
Publication Ethics Statement
A clearly published ethics policy covering authors, reviewers, and editors — ideally following COPE guidelines.
APC Transparency
If article processing charges exist, they must be clearly listed on the journal website. Journals with no APCs must state this explicitly.
How ScholarJMS Helps
OAI-PMH Metadata Harvesting
ScholarJMS generates an OAI-PMH feed for your journal automatically. DOAJ uses OAI-PMH to verify metadata and harvest article-level data after listing.
CC Licence Display
Every published article page includes the licence badge and link automatically — a common point of rejection in DOAJ applications.
Policy Pages
The ScholarJMS journal website includes pre-built pages for peer review policy, publication ethics, open access statement, and APC disclosure — all required by DOAJ.
Article-Level Metadata
JATS XML and CrossRef-compatible metadata are generated for each article, enabling DOAJ to harvest complete records post-listing.
Applying
Go to doaj.org/apply and complete the application form. The process typically takes 3–6 months. DOAJ may request clarifications or additional evidence. ScholarJMS can provide technical documentation to support your application — contact us at scholarjms@gmail.com.
DOAJ Seal: Journals that meet additional criteria (CC BY licence, LOCKSS archiving, metadata supplied to DOAJ via OAI-PMH, DOIs on articles, author ORCID collection) may qualify for the DOAJ Seal — the highest quality indicator on the platform.