Index directory

Recognised

Crossref membership (DOIs) · Identifiers

Method: Membership · Decision: 1–2 weeks · Cost: USD 275/yr + per-DOI fee (or via a sponsor)

Legal publisher entity; agree to deposit metadata and reference links.

Pre-application checklist page with the Apply button. Membership fee invoiced by Crossref. If you already have a DOI prefix you are a member; skip this.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

DOI metadata deposit with references (Crossref) · Identifiers

Method: Technical · Decision: Per issue · Cost: Included in Crossref membership

Every article has a DOI; metadata deposit includes abstracts, ORCIDs, funding and reference lists (enables Scopus/OpenAlex/Dimensions citation tracking).

OJS Crossref plugin can deposit automatically.

How-to ↗

Recognised

Google Scholar (inclusion) · Discovery

Method: Technical · Decision: Automatic after crawl (weeks–months) · Cost: Free

citation_* meta tags on article pages, crawlable PDFs, one article per page.

No form — technical inclusion. Use the audit criterion WT08 as the checklist; then use the troubleshooting form only if not indexed after 2 months.

How-to ↗

Recognised

ISSN registration / ISSN Portal record · Registration

Method: Form · Decision: 2–8 weeks · Cost: Free

Indian journals apply to the ISSN National Centre (NIScPR, New Delhi); other countries via their national centre. Provide title, publisher, first issue, frequency, medium and website. Confirm the record appears at portal.issn.org.

ISSN National Centre India (CSIR-NIScPR, New Delhi). Apply online; general mailbox issnindia.niscpr@csir.res.in.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

OAI-PMH endpoint enabled · Interoperability

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Free

OJS exposes /index.php/<journal>/oai by default; other platforms need a plugin. Required by CORE, OpenAIRE, BASE, J-Gate, AGRIS.

Test with ?verb=Identify.

How-to ↗

Recognised

ORCID iDs for editors & authors · Identifiers

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Free

Every editorial board member has an ORCID iD displayed on the board page; submission form collects author ORCIDs (OJS plugin).

Checked by audit criteria EB05 and AU08.

How-to ↗

Caution

PKP Publishing Services — hosted Open Journal Systems (OJS) · Hosting platform (paid)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Paid hosting — pricing on request (tiers from small cost-conscious publishers to large presses)

Any journal publisher may request a quote via the PKP|PS contact form. PKP hosts, supports, trains and customises OJS on your behalf.

This is a hosting service, not an index. Advantage over self-hosting: managed upgrades, PKP Preservation Network inclusion, built-in OAI-PMH/Crossref/DOAJ plugins. Hosting FAQ: https://pkp.sfu.ca/hosting-services/hosting/hostingfaq/. Self-hosted OJS remains free. Why: Official OJS hosting from the software's makers gives a journal a standards-compliant platform that indexes and preservation services can harvest easily.

Apply page ↗

Caution

Digital Commons Journals (Elsevier/bepress) — hosted diamond-OA journal platform · Hosting platform (paid)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Paid institutional licence — pricing on request

Sold primarily to institutions (libraries, universities) wanting to run a journal publishing programme; contact Elsevier via the product contact form for a quote/demo.

Hosting/workflow platform, not an index. Marketing points include Google Scholar indexation, dedicated technical support and hosting with automatic updates. Editor documentation: https://digitalcommons.elsevier.com/digital-commons-journals. Independent journals usually access it through a host university rather than buying directly. Why: A widely used institutional-repository/journal platform whose pages are heavily crawled by Google Scholar, but it is a paid product aimed at institutions.

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Recognised

CORE (core.ac.uk) · Open access aggregator

Method: Form · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Free

Open-access journal with an OAI-PMH endpoint (OJS provides one) so CORE can harvest full texts.

Register as a data provider; CORE harvests metadata and PDFs via OAI-PMH.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

OpenAIRE Explore / PROVIDE · Open access aggregator

Method: Login · Decision: 1–2 months · Cost: Free

OAI-PMH endpoint compliant with OpenAIRE Guidelines; open-access content.

Login uses institutional/ORCID SSO; register the journal as a content provider and run the compatibility validator.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

OpenAlex · Open scholarly graph

Method: Technical · Decision: Automatic (via Crossref/ISSN) · Cost: Free

Journals with Crossref DOIs and an ISSN are ingested automatically. Sign up only to claim/curate the source record.

No application: OpenAlex ingests journals automatically from Crossref DOI metadata. Verified after DOIs are deposited. No application: ensure DOIs are registered with Crossref and the ISSN is in the ISSN Portal; then claim the source in OpenAlex.

How-to ↗

Recognised

ROAD — Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (ISSN) · Open access

Method: Email · Decision: 1–2 months · Cost: Free

Registered ISSN; open access; scholarly content.

ROAD entries are created by the ISSN network: ask your ISSN National Centre (India: issnindia.niscpr@csir.res.in) to flag the ISSN record as open access so it appears in ROAD. No separate ROAD application.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

RePEc / IDEAS — economics bibliographic network (open a RePEc archive) · Subject repository / Discovery (economics)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown (archive code issued by email; harvesting starts once metadata files are · Cost: Free

Only departments, institutions or publishers (not individuals) may open an archive. The journal publisher must host plain-text ReDIF metadata files (archive, series/journal and per-article templates) on its own web/FTP server so RePEc can harvest them regularly.

Scope: economics, finance, business, statistics. Six-step process: (1) request an archive handle by emailing repec@repec.org with the institution/publisher name; (2) configure a server directory for metadata; (3–5) write ReDIF archive, journal and article files; (6) notify RePEc. Metadata must be plain ASCII/UTF-8 text, not word-processed documents. Content then appears in IDEAS, EconPapers, CitEc etc. Scope is economics and adjacent fields (finance, business, management, statistics). Why: RePEc/IDEAS is the largest free bibliographic network in economics and feeds EconPapers, CitEc citation counts and the RePEc author/journal rankings.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

PhilPapers — philosophy index and bibliography (journal monitoring) · Subject index / Discovery (philosophy)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown (editors consider each request individually) · Cost: Free

Journal must be relevant to philosophy; editors decide case by case based on 'the relevance and the standing of the journal'. Publisher supplies metadata via RSS with PRISM tags, FTP feeds, batch bibliographic uploads, or by pointing PhilPapers to its Crossref deposits.

Scope: philosophy. Journal publishers and editors should use the contact form (https://philpapers.org/help/contact.html) to arrange bulk submissions/monitoring. If the journal already deposits metadata with Crossref, tell PhilPapers so it can harvest indirectly. No fee. Why: PhilPapers is the de-facto discovery service for academic philosophy and the main way philosophy journals reach researchers outside the big commercial indexes.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

dblp computer science bibliography — journal inclusion request · Subject bibliography / Discovery (computer science)

Method: Email · Decision: At least 8 weeks, often more; no guaranteed reply · Cost: Free

Venue must focus on computer science, have a regular publishing history, an editorial board of distinguished experts, serious peer review, clean typesetting, openly accessible bibliographic metadata and abstracts, and persistent identifiers (DOIs). Meeting the criteria does not guarantee inclusion (resource constraints).

Scope: computer science. Send a proposal to the dblp team (contact address is printed on https://dblp.org/db/about/team.html, rendered with an obfuscated @) stating how the minimum standards are met and giving a URL where metadata can be found; if metadata is not online, supply it in the dblp XML submission format. Do not send the request more than once. dblp says a web-based process is planned but not yet live. Why: dblp is the reference bibliography for computer science; being listed is widely treated by CS researchers as a mark of a legitimate venue.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

NASA/SAO Astrophysics Data System (ADS) — journal inclusion · Subject index / Discovery (astronomy & physics)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown (evaluated on an ongoing basis) · Cost: Free

Journal must be relevant to astronomy/astrophysics (and related physics/planetary science) and of a quality and scope of interest to an international audience. It should have an ISSN, register DOIs with Crossref, and provide abstracts, keywords and full author addresses.

Scope: astronomy, astrophysics, planetary science, physics. Email the ADS team with the journal details to request evaluation. ADS aims for comprehensive but not all-inclusive coverage of astronomy and adds or removes journals regularly. Journals outside astronomy are unlikely to be accepted. Why: ADS is the primary literature search tool for astronomers worldwide; astronomy papers not in ADS are effectively invisible to the field.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

BASE — Bielefeld Academic Search Engine · Discovery

Method: Form · Decision: 2–6 weeks · Cost: Free

OAI-PMH endpoint.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

DOJAG — Directory of Journals Accepting Grey literature (KTDRR) · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: 1–2 months · Cost: Free

Relevant to disability/rehabilitation research and grey literature.

Niche — only for relevant scopes.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Dimensions (Digital Science) · Discovery

Method: Technical · Decision: Automatic · Cost: Free

Indexed automatically via Crossref/DataCite DOIs.

How-to ↗

Discovery & aggregators

EuroPub · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: 2–6 weeks · Cost: Free

ISSN, website, editor contact, description.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Journals Directory · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: 1–4 weeks · Cost: Free

Registration form with journal details.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

OpenAcessJournal.com directory · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Open-access journal; suggestion form.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Publishers Panel · Directory

Method: Login · Decision: 1–4 weeks · Cost: Free

Publisher account; add journal.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

REEN — Research Education & Entertainment Network · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Suggest-a-journal form.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

ResearchBib (Academic Resource Index) · Directory

Method: Login · Decision: 1–4 weeks · Cost: Free

Create an editor account, then add the journal by ISSN.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

SOBIAD / ATIF Citation Index (Turkey) · Citation index (regional)

Method: Form · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Free

Application form; regular publication; DOIs helpful.

Turkish Social Sciences Citation Index — social sciences only. Application page (atif.sobiad.com/journal-application) is a JavaScript app behind Cloudflare; it may load blank — refresh, disable translation, or try another browser. No public application email.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Scilit (MDPI) · Discovery

Method: Technical · Decision: Automatic · Cost: Free

Harvested automatically from Crossref DOI metadata.

No application: Scilit aggregates from Crossref and other sources automatically once DOIs exist. No application — appears once DOIs are registered.

How-to ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Semantic Scholar (AI2) · Discovery

Method: Form · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Free

Open-access full text; request inclusion as a publisher/content partner.

Use the 'Partner with us / content submission' link.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

The Lens · Discovery

Method: Email · Decision: Automatic · Cost: Free

Aggregates from Crossref, OpenAlex, PubMed and Microsoft Academic successors.

Publishers contribute metadata by contacting support@lens.org.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Wikidata item for the journal · Discovery

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Free

Create an item with ISSN, publisher, website, DOI prefix; used by OpenAlex/Wikipedia/Scholia.

How-to ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Zenodo (CERN/OpenAIRE) — create a community for your journal · Open repository / Archive

Method: Account · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Free

Any organisation, project or journal can create a community with a free Zenodo account: choose a community name and identifier. Community owners then accept or reject records submitted to it.

Self-service: log in, click the plus icon, 'New community', enter name and identifier. A journal community lets you deposit article PDFs/data (each gets a Zenodo DOI unless you supply your own), curate submissions, and the collection is automatically exposed via OAI-PMH, which OpenAIRE and BASE harvest. It is an additional archive/visibility channel, not a selective index. Why: A Zenodo community gives a small journal a free, CERN-hosted open archive of its articles with DOIs and OAI-PMH exposure that OpenAIRE harvests.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Baidu Scholar (????) — Chinese academic search engine journal cooperation · Discovery / Academic search (CN)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Unknown (believed free)

Baidu Scholar has a '????' (journal cooperation) page for publishers/journals wishing to have content indexed; its content could not be read by our tools.

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: xueshu.baidu.com blocks automated fetching (robots.txt), so the form fields, contact and requirements on the journal-cooperation page were not confirmed. A human should open the URL in a browser (Chinese-language) before listing. Why: Baidu Scholar is China's dominant academic search engine; inclusion drives discovery by Chinese researchers.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

SSRN Partners in Publishing — journal integration with SSRN research networks (Elsevier) · Discovery / Preprint network

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Unknown

SSRN lists participating journals per network under 'Partners in Publishing' (journals whose accepted/forthcoming papers are distributed via SSRN eJournals); the programme pages list partner journals but publish no application text.

Scope: social sciences, law, economics, humanities. ? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: the Partners in Publishing pages we opened only list existing partner journals; the explanatory support article (service.elsevier.com a_id/35288) is blocked to automated fetch. Route in practice is the SSRN contact form (https://www.ssrn.com/index.cfm/en/contactus/). Mainly social sciences, law, economics, humanities. Why: Puts a journal's papers in front of SSRN's large social-science readership and its eJournal email alerts.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Journal social profiles — LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, Facebook, YouTube · Promotion

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Free

Journal-branded pages (not personal accounts) linked from the journal website; post each new issue / article with DOI link; editors and authors tagged.

Not an index — social profiles do not affect indexing decisions, but Scopus/DOAJ reviewers look for an active, professional web presence and they drive readership and citations. Set up in this order: LinkedIn page, X/Bluesky account, Facebook page, YouTube (for video abstracts). Add the profile links to the journal footer and to Wikidata. Do not buy followers or post promotional spam. Why: Visibility and readership; evidence of an active journal for Stage-6 reviewers.

How-to ↗

Caution

CiteFactor · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: 1–4 weeks · Cost: Free / paid

Submission form.

⚠ Sells 'impact factor' style metrics; flagged by the Smart Scholars audit (criterion IX03/ET09). Not recommended if you are targeting Scopus or UGC-CARE.

Apply page ↗

Caution

DRJI — Directory of Research Journals Indexing · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: 1–4 weeks · Cost: Free

Submission form.

⚠ Frequently listed alongside predatory-indexing services; low value for recognised indexes.

Apply page ↗

Caution

I2OR — International Institute of Organized Research · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: 1–4 weeks · Cost: Paid

Indexing parameters page; paid evaluation.

⚠ Paid 'indexing' with its own metric; widely considered non-scholarly. Not recommended.

Apply page ↗

Caution

Index Copernicus (ICI Journals Master List) · Directory

Method: Login · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Free listing / paid evaluation

Publisher account; annual evaluation questionnaire.

⚠ The 'ICV' score is not accepted as a metric by recognised indexes; listing is harmless but do not display ICV as an impact factor.

Apply page ↗

Caution

Root Indexing · Directory

Method: Form · Decision: 1–4 weeks · Cost: Free / paid

Submission form.

⚠ Listed on predatory-indexing watchlists. Displaying its logo or score on your site can harm Scopus/UGC-CARE applications.

Apply page ↗

Caution

ScienceOpen — paid discovery / indexing environment for journals · Discovery platform (commercial)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown (quote on request) · Cost: Paid — quote on request per journal/book

Open to academic publishers, OA journals, university presses and societies; you contact ScienceOpen for a quote. Journal metadata is integrated into a discovery environment of 90M+ records with topical collections, branding, 'submit manuscript' links and usage reports.

Commercial service: named contacts printed on the page are Stephanie Dawson (stephanie.dawson@scienceopen.com) and Stuart Cooper (Stuart.Cooper@ScienceOpen.com). ScienceOpen also offers OA hosting (https://about.scienceopen.com/open-access-hosting/). Being 'indexed in ScienceOpen' is a marketing/discovery placement, not a quality mark, so weigh cost against benefit. Why: ScienceOpen can raise a journal's visibility and provide usage statistics, but it is a paid promotional platform rather than a selective index.

Apply page ↗

Caution

ResearchGate Journal Home — paid journal presence on ResearchGate · Discovery / Academic social network (commercial)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Paid — annual subscription per journal (price on request)

Publisher completes the contact form (name, email, job title, company, number of journals, current indexing status, hosting platform, Crossref member ID). Works for OA, subscription and hybrid journals.

Journal Home gives a journal a fully integrated profile on ResearchGate with article syndication, COUNTER-compliant daily usage feeds and entitlement-based access. Existing partners include Emerald, Taylor & Francis, Pensoft, IntechOpen. It is a marketing/visibility product, not an index; free ResearchGate journal pages are created automatically from Crossref data and cannot be 'applied' for. Why: Puts the journal in front of ResearchGate's 25M+ researcher members with usage data, but only as a paid subscription.

Apply page ↗

Caution

Document-sharing mirrors — Scribd, SlideShare, Calameo, Academia, Studylib · Visibility

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Free

Journal-branded accounts on each site; CC licence allowing redistribution.

These are document-sharing websites, not preservation archives: they can remove files, are not recognised by DOAJ/Scopus/Keepers, and bulk uploads are often flagged as spam. Some journals list them under 'Digital Archives' — it adds nothing for reviewers. Use only for visibility, with issue PDFs (not individual articles), and never instead of the real archives (Internet Archive, Zenodo, PKP PN, Keepers). Not automated by us.

How-to ↗

Recognised

Research4Life (HINARI / AGORA / OARE) · Library discovery

Method: Form · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Free

Publishers contribute content for low-income countries; open-access journals can be listed via the partner form.

Publisher partnership by contact form (https://www.research4life.org/about/partners/). No online application form.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory · Library discovery

Method: Form · Decision: 4–8 weeks · Cost: Free

ISSN, publisher details, frequency, refereed status. Librarians and Scopus reviewers check Ulrich's for 'refereed' status.

Use the 'Ulrichsweb title update / add a title' form.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

HeinOnline Law Journal Library — publishing partnership / publication inclusion · Full-text database / Library discovery (law)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: No fee to apply; commercial partnership (agreement terms not published)

Law, legal-studies and related journals. Complete the Publication Inclusion Questionnaire with publication name, ISSN, mission, peer-review status, existing indexing, sample issues in PDF/XML and a contact for the agreement.

Scope: law, legal history, political science, international relations. Web form only; no partnership email is printed. HeinOnline reports 3,300+ journals, yearbooks and databases with about 40% international subscribers. A separate proposal form exists for new databases or books. Terms (royalties, exclusivity) are negotiated after submission. Why: HeinOnline is the standard full-text law journal database in law libraries; inclusion gives a law journal reach into academic and practitioner research.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

CNKI Scholar — China National Knowledge Infrastructure international journal platform · Library discovery / Aggregator (China) (CN)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Unknown (content licence agreement; publishers such as IntechOpen and others report cooperation agreements)

International publishers join via a cooperation/licensing agreement with CNKI's international publishing/cooperation unit; no public self-service form found.

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: oversea.cnki.net and tp.cnki.net (CNKI International Publishing Center) refused automated access (robots.txt / HTTP-only redirect loop), so no official contact email or form could be confirmed. Route is typically business-development negotiation rather than an application form. Why: CNKI is the largest Chinese academic database; CNKI Scholar exposes international journals to Chinese universities.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

EBSCO Discovery / databases · Discovery

Method: Form · Decision: 2–4 months · Cost: Free (licensing agreement)

Full-text licensing agreement; consistent metadata.

3-step Journal Indexing Request form.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

EZB — Electronic Journals Library (Regensburg) · Library discovery

Method: Form · Decision: 2–6 weeks · Cost: Free

Online journal with ISSN; used by 600+ libraries in Germany/Europe (feeds Frankfurt KatalogPlus etc.).

Use 'Suggest a journal' (Zeitschrift vorschlagen).

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Ex Libris Primo / Alma Central Discovery Index · Library discovery

Method: Email · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Free

OAI-PMH or metadata feed; open-access preferred.

Ex Libris Provider Relations onboards content into the Central Discovery Index, Primo, Summon, 360 KB and Alma Community Zone — one request covers all Clarivate/Ex Libris library systems. Send a KBART title list + OAI-PMH/Crossref metadata details.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

J-Gate · Discovery

Method: Email · Decision: 1–2 months · Cost: Free

ISSN, online full text, metadata feed.

No online inclusion form any more (platform moved to jgatenext.com, Sept 2026). Request inclusion by email to Informatics Publishing (info@informaticsglobal.ai) or via their contact form; ask for the J-Gate content team.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

ProQuest · Discovery

Method: Form · Decision: 2–4 months · Cost: Free (licensing agreement)

Full-text licensing agreement.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

WorldCat / OCLC · Library discovery

Method: Form · Decision: Varies · Cost: Free

Usually via your national library / ISSN registration.

OCLC partner programme contact form (https://www.oclc.org/en/partnerships.html).

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Sabinet African Journals — South African/African journal hosting and aggregation platform · Library discovery / Hosting (ZA)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Commercial hosting service — pricing on request

Aimed at publishers of African (mainly South African) scholarly journals. The 'Host your journal on our platform' form asks for name, organisation, contact details, journal subject category and a message; eligibility and pricing are not published.

Sabinet African Journals (journals.co.za, on Atypon Literatum) is a paid hosting/aggregation service sold to libraries worldwide; it is not a free index. Fill in the hosting enquiry form or email info@sabinet.co.za. The publisher information page on journals.co.za returned 403 to our tools. Why: The largest African journal collection licensed by libraries across Africa and abroad; relevant for journals published on the continent.

Apply page ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Ovid (Wolters Kluwer) — Journals@Ovid publisher content partnership · Library discovery / Full-text aggregator

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Licensing/revenue-share agreement

Ovid's About page invites publishers to 'Check with our Publisher Relations team to learn about these solutions and opportunities for your content' (medical, nursing, health and life-science journals), but prints no dedicated email or form.

Scope: medicine, nursing, health, life sciences. ? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED route: only a general reference to a Publisher Relations team exists on the official page; no contact address or form found. Journals@Ovid is a commercial hosting/aggregation platform for biomedical journals; approach via the Wolters Kluwer contact page. Why: Ovid is licensed by thousands of hospitals and medical libraries worldwide; inclusion gives clinical readership and subscription revenue.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

CLOCKSS · Preservation

Method: Membership · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Fee (by revenue band; small OA publishers low)

Publisher agreement; content harvested via OAI-PMH or FTP.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

Keepers Registry (ISSN) · Preservation

Method: Technical · Decision: Automatic · Cost: Free

Populated automatically once the journal is in PKP PN / LOCKSS / CLOCKSS / Portico.

Check your ISSN here to prove preservation to DOAJ/Scopus.

How-to ↗

Recognised

LOCKSS / Global LOCKSS Network · Preservation

Method: Membership · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Free for OA

LOCKSS manifest page or OJS plugin.

Global LOCKSS Network: publishers contact lockss-publishers@lockss.org (see https://www.lockss.org/contact).

Apply page ↗

Recognised

PKP Preservation Network (OJS) · Preservation

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate (plugin) · Cost: Free

OJS 3.x with the PKP PN plugin enabled and terms accepted; ISSN required.

Satisfies DOAJ/Scopus preservation criterion at zero cost.

How-to ↗

Recognised

Portico · Preservation

Method: Membership · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Fee (small publishers from ~USD 250/yr)

Publisher agreement; JATS XML or PDF deposit.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

Digital Archives — Internet Archive, Wayback Machine, Zenodo, OSF mirror of every article · Preservation

Method: Technical · Decision: Same day (batches of 40 articles) · Cost: Free

DOIs registered with Crossref; PDFs downloadable from the journal site (citation_pdf_url or OJS galley); Creative Commons licence.

Our agent reads the journal's DOI list from Crossref, downloads each published PDF and deposits it in the Internet Archive with full metadata (title, authors, DOI, ISSN, licence), takes a Wayback Machine snapshot of every article page, and — if the journal adds its own keys — mirrors to Zenodo (CERN, gets a DOI-linked record) and OSF. A ready-made 'Digital Archives' statement for the journal website is generated. Runs again for new articles whenever pressed. Why: DOAJ, Scopus and Keepers ask for a preservation arrangement; mirrored copies keep articles citable even if the site goes down.

How-to ↗

Recognised

OASPA — Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association · Membership

Method: Membership · Decision: 2–4 months · Cost: Annual fee (by size)

OA publisher meeting OASPA's membership criteria (licensing, peer review, transparency).

Register an account to start the application.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

STM Association — International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers · Membership / Publisher trade association

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown (site notes a backlog; applications submitted mid-2026 unlikely to be pr · Cost: Tiered on publishing revenue: from EUR 878/year (revenue under EUR 1m) up to EUR 102,500+; Associate members 0.04% of re

Open to publishing companies, learned societies and secondary publishers (Regular members, voting); subscription agents, consultancies and publishing-related firms join as non-voting Associates. Application via Microsoft Forms linked from the Join page.

Application form is a Microsoft Forms link on the Join page; membership is reviewed by STM (approval process not detailed on site). Fee is self-declared on revenue bands. No membership email printed — use the form or the site contact page. Why: STM is the leading global trade body for scholarly publishers; membership signals a serious, standards-following publisher and gives access to industry policy, legal and technology working groups.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

WAME — World Association of Medical Editors · Membership / Editors' association

Method: Form · Decision: Up to one month for review · Cost: Free (donations welcome)

Open to editors responsible for selecting the scientific content of a peer-reviewed biomedical journal (the journal must obtain external peer review for the majority of manuscripts), and to scholars of medical editing. Membership is by individual editor, not by journal or publisher.

Scope: medicine / biomedical. Register via the online account form. Non-English-language journals and scholar applicants are directed to the Membership Committee chair (peush@wame.org). WAME Secretary: jagdish@wame.org. Membership is personal to the editor; publishers typically have their editor-in-chief join. Why: Free, widely recognised body for medical editors; membership of the editor-in-chief signals adherence to editorial-ethics norms that medical indexers look for.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

CSE — Council of Science Editors · Membership / Editors' association

Method: Form · Decision: Immediate on payment · Cost: Worldwide individual US$247/year; Developing Country member US$58/year (Research4Life country list); Digital Associate U

Individual membership for editors, managing editors and publishing staff; group membership available for organisations. Developing-country rate available for residents of Research4Life-eligible countries.

Scope: science, medicine. Join through the MemberClicks application form. Contact email on site is obfuscated (not readable). Membership brings CSE's ethics resources, Science Editor journal and event discounts; no journal-level listing. Why: Professional body behind widely used editorial-policy and style standards; group membership trains an editorial office affordably.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

EASE — European Association of Science Editors · Membership / Editors' association

Method: Form · Decision: Immediate on payment (calendar-year membership) · Cost: Individual standard GBP 106/year; upper-middle-income countries GBP 69; low/lower-middle-income countries, students, ret

Open worldwide to journal editors, manuscript editors, publishers and related professionals. Individuals apply online; organisations wanting group membership must contact the EASE Secretary.

Despite the name, membership is global (India qualifies for the lower-middle-income rate). Group/organisational membership is arranged by email with the Secretary (address obfuscated on site). Rates from https://ease.org.uk/membership/membership-types-and-rates/. Why: Affordable membership for editors in lower-income countries; EASE guidelines and training are recognised by indexers and funders.

Apply page ↗

Recognised

ISMTE — International Society of Managing & Technical Editors · Membership / Editorial-office association

Method: Membership · Decision: Immediate on payment · Cost: Corporate supporter tiers: Bronze US$3,900 (25 memberships), Silver US$7,800, Gold US$11,700, Platinum US$19,800; indivi

Corporate membership open to publishers and vendors, bundling individual memberships for staff. Individual membership for managing/technical editors is available through the site's register-member page.

Corporate join button links from the Corporate Supporters page (the site blocks automated fetching of the general Membership page). Suitable for publishers with several editorial-office staff; small publishers may prefer individual membership. Why: Peer network and training specifically for journal editorial-office staff (peer-review management, ethics, systems).

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Recognised

SSP — Society for Scholarly Publishing · Membership / Publishing professional society

Method: Membership · Decision: Immediate on payment · Cost: Organisational: Supporting US$2,800 (5 representatives), Partnering US$4,950 (10), Sustaining US$7,200 (20); individual

Open to publishers, societies, vendors and individuals in scholarly publishing. Organisational membership is bought online via the SSP customer portal (Select membership type page).

Fee table confirmed on https://customer.sspnet.org/SSP/ssp/Select_Type.aspx. The public sspnet.org membership page blocks automated fetching; the join page is linked from the site navigation. Email info@sspnet.org is printed on SSP's organisational-membership announcement. Why: The main North-American-based professional community for scholarly publishing; organisational membership gives staff training and visibility among librarians and indexers.

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Recognised

PKP — Public Knowledge Project membership (Financial / Community Contributor) · Membership / Open-source infrastructure sustainer

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown (annual or by signed agreement) · Cost: Financial contribution (amount not published; negotiated via contact form); Community Contributor membership is free aft

Three paths: Development Partner (institutional financial + in-kind), Financial Contributor (monetary; enquire via https://pkp.sfu.ca/contact-us/), Community Contributor (translation, documentation, code; apply via https://surveys.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/294222?newtest=Y&lang=en). Members agree to the PKP Code of Conduct.

Relevant mainly to publishers running Open Journal Systems. Membership is recognition/support, not a listing; PKP Preservation Network (already in directory) is separate. Why: OJS publishers who sustain PKP get priority input, recognition on the PKP members page and support the platform they depend on.

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Recognised

CHORUS — Clearinghouse for the Open Research of the United States (publisher membership; feeds DOE PAGES/OSTI and other US agencies) · Membership / Public-access compliance

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Annual fee by publishing revenue: from USD 682 (under USD 2.5m revenue) up to USD 92,267 (over USD 500m) for 2027

Sign the Publisher Member Agreement and pay the fee; be a Crossref member using the Funder Registry; deposit funding data, licence/embargo metadata and full-text URLs with Crossref for all new content; archive with CLOCKSS/Portico or similar; provide public access to the best available version of funded articles.

Email info@chorusaccess.org to join. This is the publisher-side route into US federal public-access systems: OSTI's DOE PAGES ingests 'publisher-supplied metadata and links to participating publishers' ... content' via CHORUS (confirmed on osti.gov/pages/faqs). Only worthwhile for publishers with US-federally-funded authors. Why: Membership makes your funded articles discoverable in US agency portals such as DOE PAGES and demonstrates public-access compliance to funders.

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Discovery & aggregators

ALPSP — Association of Learned & Professional Society Publishers · Membership

Method: Membership · Decision: 1–2 months · Cost: Annual fee

Non-profit/society publishers; open to small publishers.

Optional; JST-style 'ALPSP member' badge adds credibility.

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Discovery & aggregators

FIP — Federation of Indian Publishers (national publishers' association) · Membership / National publishers' association (IN)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Not published on the membership page (fee set out in the PDF application form / on enquiry)

Indian publishers (English, Hindi and regional languages). Full Members have voting rights; Affiliated Members participate without voting (https://fiponline.org/affiliated-membership-registration/). Application via online registration or downloadable PDF form.

General book-and-journal publishing trade body, not a scholarly-specific one; useful for Indian publishers wanting a formal industry affiliation. Application form PDF: https://fiponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FIP-MEMBERSHIP-APPLICATION-FORM.pdf. Why: Recognised Indian industry body; membership supports legitimacy claims for Indian publishers dealing with institutions and government.

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Recognised

Crossref Crossmark (updates/retractions) · Interoperability

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Included for Crossref members

Add Crossmark button and deposit update metadata.

How-to ↗

Recognised

Crossref Similarity Check (iThenticate) · Interoperability

Method: Form · Decision: 1–2 weeks · Cost: Annual fee + per-document

Crossref member with reference links deposited.

Satisfies plagiarism-screening criteria (PR07).

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Recognised

JATS XML full text · Interoperability

Method: Technical · Decision: Per issue · Cost: Typesetting cost or OJS JATS plugin

Required for PubMed Central; improves Scopus/OpenAlex metadata quality.

How-to ↗

Recognised

Machine-readable Creative Commons licence · Interoperability

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Free

Embed <link rel="license"> and licence text in article HTML/XML and PDF; required for DOAJ Seal.

How-to ↗

Recognised

ROR — Research Organization Registry (organisation identifier) · Interoperability / Organisation identifier registry

Method: Form · Decision: Usually 4–6 weeks from request to appearance in registry (monthly releases) · Cost: Free

Any organisation that produces, funds, facilitates, manages or publishes research; must be evidenced as an affiliation, funder or publisher in research outputs (articles, datasets). Submit organisation name, website, location, and evidence via the curation request form.

Search the registry first — many organisations already have a ROR ID. Requests can also be filed as GitHub issues at https://github.com/ror-community/ror-updates/issues/new/choose (stated to be faster). Bulk requests by spreadsheet to support@ror.org. A publisher's ROR ID is used in Crossref, DataCite, OpenAlex and funder metadata. Why: A ROR ID is the open persistent identifier for your organisation that Crossref, OpenAlex, DataCite and funders use to link outputs to publishers and institutions.

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Recognised

DataCite — DOI registration member for data, preprints and other research outputs · Membership / DOI registration agency

Method: Form · Decision: Application reviewed within about one week, then approved by Executive Board · Cost: Non-profit Institutional/Consortium member: EUR 2,000/year dues plus shared-infrastructure fee EUR 200–700/year (by coun

Any research organisation is eligible. Process: consultation with DataCite staff, short application form, review, Executive Board approval, onboarding. Members may be Institutional, Consortium lead, or a Consortium Organisation joining through an existing consortium.

Complementary to Crossref: DataCite DOIs are used for datasets, supplementary material, preprints and other non-article outputs. Publishers already in Crossref normally join DataCite only if they publish data or other outputs. Staff recommend contacting support@datacite.org before applying to choose the right pathway. Fee figures from https://datacite.org/fees/. Why: Lets a publisher mint DOIs for datasets, supplementary files and other outputs and feeds them into the global PID graph.

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Recognised

I4OC — Initiative for Open Citations (open reference lists via Crossref) · Interoperability / Open metadata initiative

Method: Technical · Decision: Automatic; participant list refreshed roughly every two months · Cost: Free

Be a Crossref member and deposit reference lists with your DOI metadata, with reference distribution set to open (the <reference_distribution_opt> element set to 'any', or ask Crossref support to enable it for your prefixes). No separate application.

Since 3 June 2022 Crossref opens references by default for all members, so the main action is simply depositing references with every DOI. Publishers appear on the I4OC participant list automatically once at least one publication's references are deposited. Contact emails on the site are obfuscated (not readable), so none recorded here. Why: Open references make your articles' citations count in OpenCitations, OpenAlex, Dimensions and Lens, increasing discoverability and citation tracking.

How-to ↗

Recognised

I4OA — Initiative for Open Abstracts (open abstracts via Crossref) · Interoperability / Open metadata initiative

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Deposit article abstracts in your Crossref metadata (for new works at registration; for back content via metadata updates). Publishers wishing to be listed as I4OA supporters email the initiative.

Site states: 'If you are a publisher and you want to join I4OA, please contact us by sending a message to openabstracts@gmail.com'. Technical guidance for depositing abstracts is available from Crossref (support@crossref.org). Why: Open abstracts in Crossref are harvested by OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, Lens and others, so your articles become findable by content, not just title.

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Recognised

Crossref Cited-by — citation counts and citing-article links for your DOIs · Interoperability / Citation service

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate for existing Crossref members · Cost: Free (included in Crossref membership)

Must be a Crossref member. Deposit your own reference lists (strongly encouraged — otherwise at least 20% of citations are missed), then query the Cited-by service or register callbacks to be notified when your works are cited.

Optional service; not automatic — you must query it or set up notifications. Public API exposes counts; full citing-work details are available to members only. Support via https://www.crossref.org/contact/ and https://community.crossref.org. Why: Displays 'cited by' counts on your article pages at no cost, reinforcing the journal's credibility with authors and evaluators.

How-to ↗

Recognised

Ringgold ID / Open ISNI for Organizations (CCC) — organisation identifier · Interoperability / Organisation identifier

Method: Form · Decision: Response within seven business days · Cost: Free to request an ID (lookup free; Ringgold Identify database subscription is separate and paid)

Organisation must operate in the scholarly communications ecosystem (publishers qualify). Search Ringgold/ISNI first; if absent, submit the new-ID request form or email support.

Ringgold (Copyright Clearance Center) is an ISNI Registration Agency; a Ringgold ID request also yields an ISNI for the organisation (isni.ringgold.com). Ringgold IDs are used by ORCID, Editorial Manager/ScholarOne and many publisher systems for affiliation data. Why: Gives your publishing organisation an identifier recognised in ORCID and submission systems, and a free ISNI at the same time.

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Recognised

ISNI — International Standard Name Identifier for your organisation · Interoperability / Organisation identifier

Method: Form · Decision: Varies by registration agency (Ringgold: within seven business days) · Cost: Free via Ringgold's Open ISNI for Organizations (isni.ringgold.com); other agencies may charge

Search the ISNI database first (many publishers already have one from library data). Otherwise apply through an ISNI Registration Agency with evidence of your public identity (published works). ISNI itself does not assign directly to the public.

ISO 27729 identifier used by national libraries, Wikidata, ORCID and Ringgold. For publishers the simplest route is the Ringgold new-ID request (see Ringgold entry) or email ringgoldsupport@copyright.com as printed on isni.ringgold.com. Why: Library and bibliographic systems use ISNI to disambiguate publishers as name authorities, improving how catalogues attribute your journals.

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Recognised

Journal Comparison Service (cOAlition S / Plan S) — price and service transparency data · Interoperability / Funder-compliance listing

Method: Account · Decision: Approval required before upload; data submitted annually by 31 October · Cost: Free

Register a publisher account on the JCS portal, sign the Publisher Service Agreement, get approved, then upload per-journal price and service data using the Information Power framework (the only accepted framework since 1 Nov 2024). Data covers the previous year.

Participating publishers and journals are publicly listed on journalcheckertool.org/jcs/. Relevant mainly to open-access journals seeking Plan S funder compliance; the separate Journal Checker Tool itself has no application route — it draws on DOAJ, Crossref, ROR, Open Access Button and the ESAC registry, so listing in DOAJ is the practical way in. Why: Demonstrates price transparency demanded by cOAlition S funders, so their grantees can publish in your journals.

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Recognised

DeepGreen — German open-access article delivery service to repositories (KOBV/BSB) · Interoperability / Repository delivery (DE)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free for publishers

Aimed at all scientific publishers whose authors include German research institutions. Publisher must be able to supply full texts and metadata as ZIP packages (NISO-JATS XML + PDF) via SFTP to the DeepGreen router, and sign a cooperation/test agreement.

Email to express interest; DeepGreen sets up a test account. Articles are routed automatically to the German institutional repositories entitled to them (open access / alliance-licence content). Useful mainly for publishers with a meaningful share of German-affiliated authors; historic partners include Karger, SAGE, OUP, Springer Nature, Copernicus. Why: Automatically deposits your articles into German university repositories, boosting green-OA compliance and visibility for German-affiliated authors at no cost.

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Recognised

Citation Booster — citation audit, tracking dashboard & article promotion kit · Citations

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate; refresh monthly · Cost: Free

ISSN registered; DOIs in Crossref (for anything to be counted).

Free citation intelligence from OpenAlex and Crossref: total citations, h-index, citations per article, uncited articles, new citations since last check, and a 10-point audit of what stops citations (reference lists and abstracts not deposited to Crossref, missing ORCIDs, missing Google Scholar tags, no licence in metadata…). Each article gets a one-click promotion kit: social post, LinkedIn post, author email with six citation-building steps, plain-language summary. No citation rings, no paid citations — those get journals delisted. Why: discoverable, linkable, promoted articles are the only legitimate way citations grow; Scopus/WoS judge 'citedness' at evaluation.

How-to ↗

Recognised

Reference Booster — reference lists extracted from PDFs, DOI-matched, written to OJS and deposited to Crossref · Citations

Method: Technical · Decision: Same day (batches of 30 articles) · Cost: Free

DOIs in Crossref; PDFs downloadable from the journal site; OJS 3.x API key and/or Crossref depositor credentials.

Fixes the two biggest citation-audit items without typing: the agent extracts each article's reference list from the PDF, matches DOIs on Crossref (only unambiguous matches), writes the list into the OJS References field via the OJS API, and deposits it to Crossref as a references-only update to the existing DOI. Preview 5 articles first, then approve. No AI cost.

How-to ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Crossref Funder Registry & Open Funder metadata · Interoperability

Method: Technical · Decision: Immediate · Cost: Included

Collect funder names/grant IDs at submission and deposit with DOIs.

How-to ↗

Discovery & aggregators

Altmetric — attention badges and tracking for journal articles · Discovery / Article-level metrics

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Badges: free for institutional repositories and individual researchers; publisher badge/API integrations are quoted comm

Article pages must carry machine-readable identifiers (e.g. <meta name="citation_doi">), the publisher must notify Altmetric of the domains hosting its journals so they can be tracked, and embed the two-line badge script. Richer data/API access requires a commercial arrangement.

Onboarding steps are in Altmetric's help article 'Getting started with Altmetric on your journal, books or institutional repository'; the article directs publishers to contact Altmetric to register domains. No public price list or email address is printed on the site — everything routes through the contact form. Why: Altmetric badges show real-world attention (news, policy, social) on article pages and are a familiar signal to authors and evaluators.

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Discovery & aggregators

Web of Science Reviewer Recognition Service (formerly Publons) — journal partner integration · Interoperability / Peer-review recognition

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Not published; commercial arrangement with Clarivate (some tiers historically free for partner journals)

Journal/publisher contacts Clarivate to express interest; integration works through the submission system (Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, OJS plugin) so reviewers' verified review records flow to their Web of Science Researcher Profiles.

The Clarivate product page blocks automated fetching; the route (email reviewservices@clarivate.com and 'contact' buttons) is printed on Clarivate's Web of Science support article 'What services are offered and how to partner'. Being a partner journal does not affect Web of Science indexing. Why: Lets your reviewers get verified credit on their Web of Science profiles, which helps recruit and retain reviewers.

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Caution

Kudos — author-engagement and publication-promotion platform (publisher subscription) · Discovery / Author services

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown (quotation-based) · Cost: Paid; two participation levels priced by publisher size — request a quotation

Publisher signs a subscription; Kudos then auto-claims publications for authors and provides usage dashboards; the higher tier adds publisher branding and benchmarking.

Not a listing or index — a commercial marketing/analytics service. Per the Kudos user guide, publishers 'contact us at info@growkudos.com for further information and a quotation'. Low priority for small publishers. Why: Helps authors promote their articles and gives the publisher engagement analytics, but it is paid and optional.

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Recognised

AGRIS (FAO) · Agriculture

Method: Form · Decision: 1–3 months · Cost: Free

Applicant must be the publishing ORGANISATION (not a single journal); content within FAO themes (agriculture, food, forestry, fisheries, rural development, environment); new journals need 2+ years of publishing; metadata supplied in AGRIS format (OAI-PMH/XML) after acceptance.

Data-provider registration form (guide: https://www.fao.org/agris/join). Free; decision in ~10 working days; contact agris@fao.org. Only for agriculture / food / environment journals.

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Recognised

APA PsycINFO · Psychology

Method: Email · Decision: 3–6 months · Cost: Free

Psychology/behavioural scope; ?2 years history.

APA PsycInfo coverage applications are handled by email to psycinfocov@apa.org (journal details + sample issues); no online form. APA journal coverage information for publishers; selection criteria at /publishers/journal-article. Use 'Journal Coverage Application'.

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Recognised

CAB Abstracts (CABI) · Agriculture & life sciences

Method: Email · Decision: 2–4 months · Cost: Free

Agriculture/applied life-science scope.

Submission form (info: https://www.cabi.org/products-and-services/publishing-product/submit-journal/) or email journalreview@cabi.org.

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Recognised

CINAHL (EBSCO) · Nursing & allied health

Method: Form · Decision: 2–4 months · Cost: Free

Nursing/allied-health scope; peer-reviewed statement.

EBSCO "Submit a Journal Indexing Request" form (3 steps: publisher, journal, content). One request covers all EBSCO databases incl. CINAHL; EBSCO editorial team replies by email. No public submission mailbox — cinahl@ebsco.com bounces.

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Recognised

DOAJ — Directory of Open Access Journals · Open access

Method: Form · Decision: 3–6 months · Cost: Free

OA statement (BOAI wording), CC licence on articles, APC transparency, peer-review policy, ?5 research articles in the last year, ISSN at portal.issn.org, archiving policy.

The DOAJ form is long (about 50 questions) and asks for the URL of each policy — the pack lists every URL from your audit.

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Recognised

ERIC (education) · Education

Method: Email · Decision: 3–6 months · Cost: Free

Education scope; explicit peer-review statement.

Publishers/editors request a review by email (selection policy: https://eric.ed.gov/pdf/ERIC_SP-2024_Public.pdf). Use the 'Journal Source Application' link.

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Recognised

ERIH PLUS · Humanities & social sciences

Method: Form · Decision: 2–6 months · Cost: Free

ISSN, editorial board with affiliations published, explicit peer-review procedure, English abstracts/keywords on all articles, author affiliations on all articles, ? one-third authors from publishing institution.

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Recognised

EconLit (AEA) · Economics

Method: Email · Decision: 3–6 months · Cost: Free

Economics scope; JEL codes; peer review.

Publishers/editors email a request for evaluation.

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Recognised

Ei Compendex (Elsevier Engineering Village) · Engineering

Method: Form · Decision: 3–6 months · Cost: Free

Engineering scope; original technical content.

Ei Title Suggestion Form (Compendex / GEOBASE); free; 6–12 month review. Use 'Title suggestion'.

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Recognised

Embase (Elsevier) · Biomedicine

Method: Form · Decision: 3–6 months · Cost: Free

Biomedical/pharmacological scope; English abstracts.

Embase title suggestion form (linked from https://www.elsevier.com/products/embase/content). Use 'Suggest a journal'.

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Recognised

Inspec (IET) · Physics & engineering

Method: Form · Decision: 3–6 months · Cost: Free

Physics/EE/computing scope.

IET Inspec content-submission form (or email inspec.submissions@theiet.org). Scope: physics, electrical/electronic engineering, computing, control, IT, manufacturing. Review the Inspec content & selection policy first.

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Recognised

MEDLINE / PubMed (NLM) · Medicine

Method: Login · Decision: 6–12 months · Cost: Free

Biomedical scope, ?12 months and ~40 articles, ethics statements (IRB, consent), CONSORT/PRISMA adherence, structured abstracts, transparent peer review.

NLM MEDLINE Publisher Portal — "Start new application" (how-to: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medline/medline_how_to_include.html). Applies via the NLM Scientific Review of Journals; PubMed Central has a separate application at pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

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Recognised

NAAS Journal Rating (India) · Agriculture (India)

Method: Email · Decision: Annual cycle · Cost: Free

Agricultural/allied-science journal; NAAS criteria or automatic score if in Scopus/WoS.

NAAS journal scoring; current score list at https://naas.org.in/NJS/Journals.html. No online form — request by email.

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Recognised

PubMed Central (PMC) · Medicine

Method: Form · Decision: 6–12 months · Cost: Free

Scientific & editorial quality review; JATS XML technical evaluation.

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Recognised

Scopus (Elsevier) — Title Suggestion · Citation index

Method: Form · Decision: 6–12 months · Cost: Free

ISSN, ?2 years publication history, English abstracts, peer-review and ethics policies online, regular publication, editorial board with affiliations, citations from Scopus journals.

Only one suggestion per title. The 'justification' text is what the CSAB reads first — the pack writes it from your audit's verified facts.

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Recognised

Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate) — Publisher Portal · Citation index

Method: Login · Decision: 6–12 months (ESCI first) · Cost: Free

24 quality criteria: ISSN, consistent title, working website, English bibliographic data, peer-review policy, ethics statement, editorial board affiliations, timeliness, no excessive self-citation.

Web of Science Publisher Portal (login). Evaluation criteria: https://mjl.clarivate.com/journal-evaluation/ Create a Publisher Portal account, add the journal, then 'Submit for evaluation'.

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Recognised

CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) — journal coverage request for CAplus/SciFinder · Abstracting & indexing (chemistry)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Journal must be relevant to chemistry and related sciences, show scientific quality and rigour, follow ethical publishing practices with a robust peer-review process, and be published regularly and on schedule.

Scope: chemistry, chemical engineering, materials, biochemistry, pharmacology and related sciences. Online journals: complete the Journal Information Form on cas.org. Print journals: mail three recent, distinct issues to CAS Acquisitions/Evaluation Dept., P.O. Box 3012, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. A selection team of chemists decides whether the title meets the editorial criteria for abstracting and indexing in CAS databases (CAplus / SciFinder). No fee is mentioned. Why: CAS/SciFinder is the authoritative chemistry index used by every major chemistry department and industry lab; coverage signals a journal is a legitimate chemical-science source.

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Recognised

FSTA (Food Science and Technology Abstracts, IFIS) — recommend a journal · Abstracting & indexing (food science)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Journal must be relevant to food and beverage science, technology, nutrition and related fields. IFIS assesses quality, integrity and relevance using a checklist of about 60 measures (valid ISSN, transparent editorial board, clear peer-review policy, realistic turnaround claims, complete archive, honest indexing claims, self-citation patterns, website maintenance).

Scope: food science, food technology, nutrition, beverages, food safety. Anyone can recommend a journal via the web form; include as much information as possible for the editorial team. Journals showing predatory or unethical publishing practices are excluded. Use the 'Check indexed journals' tool first to confirm the title is not already covered. Why: FSTA is the leading specialist database for food science and is licensed by most agriculture and food-research libraries worldwide.

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Recognised

The Philosopher's Index — new journal submission · Abstracting & indexing (philosophy)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free to apply; accepted journals must provide one complimentary subscription to all future issues

Approximately half of the articles in each issue should be in philosophy or related disciplines. Submit one complimentary copy of two different issues (print or electronic with links and abstracts) plus full title, ISSN/E-ISSN, publisher contact details, subscription information, frequency, circulation and peer-review status.

Scope: philosophy and related disciplines. Submissions go by email to info@philinfo.org or by post to Philosopher's Information Center, 1616 East Wooster Street, Suite 34, Bowling Green, Ohio 43402, USA. Editorial staff prescreen every title for philosophical relevance; they also ask permission to publish the journal's abstracts. Indexing is done by their editorial staff. Why: The Philosopher's Index (est. 1967) is the standard subscription A&I database for philosophy, distributed via EBSCO and ProQuest to university libraries.

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Recognised

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature — publisher coverage · Abstracting & indexing (music)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free (RILM states no investment is required from the publisher)

Journal must be about music or music-related scholarship. Publisher provides content in hard-copy or electronic form so RILM can abstract and index it.

Scope: music, musicology, ethnomusicology, music education, music therapy. Email info@rilm.org to discuss options. Content is integrated into RILM Abstracts (available through EBSCO) and archived. No formal application form is published; the email is the entry point. Why: RILM is the international bibliography of record for music research, held by virtually every music library and conservatory.

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Recognised

INIS (International Nuclear Information System, IAEA) — input via national INIS Liaison Officer · Subject repository / Abstracting (nuclear science)

Method: Nomination · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Journal content must fall within nuclear science and technology (and peaceful applications). Publishers do not submit directly: literature is collected and input prepared on a national level by the INIS Liaison Officer of the publisher's country or member organisation.

Scope: nuclear science, nuclear engineering, radiation, nuclear medicine, energy. Find your country's INIS Liaison Officer from the member lists (by country / by organisation) linked from the membership page and ask them to add the journal to national input. Over 130 countries participate. No direct publisher form or email is printed on the IAEA pages. Why: INIS is the IAEA's open repository of nuclear literature with 4+ million records, used by regulators, national labs and universities in the nuclear field.

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Recognised

MLA International Bibliography — submitting a journal for indexing · Abstracting & indexing (literature, language, linguistics, folklore)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Scholarly journals in literature, language, linguistics, folklore, film and related humanities. Journals listed in the MLA Directory of Periodicals have their articles indexed.

Scope: literature, languages, linguistics, folklore, film, rhetoric. ? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. NOT VERIFIED: mla.org blocks automated fetching (robots.txt), so the 'Submit Work to the MLA International Bibliography' page (https://www.mla.org/bib_inclusion, also reachable via Publications > MLA International Bibliography > Submitting Work) could not be opened to confirm the form fields or any email address. The URL comes from MLA's own site in search results. Confirm manually before use. Why: The MLA International Bibliography is the core index for literary and language studies, available through EBSCO and ProQuest in most humanities libraries.

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Recognised

Atla Religion Database — submit a journal for indexing · Abstracting & indexing (religion & theology)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free to submit for indexing

Scholarly publications in religion and theology. Atla's 'For Publishers' page states it 'welcomes submissions of scholarly publications in religion & theology for inclusion in our index and full-text research tools'.

Scope: religion, theology, biblical studies, philosophy of religion. ? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. PARTIALLY VERIFIED: the For Publishers landing page was opened and confirms Atla accepts journal submissions, but the 'Submit to Products' page itself and the Atlas evaluation page (https://www.atla.com/for-publishers/evaluation-atlas/) returned HTTP 403 to automated access, so the form fields and any contact email could not be confirmed. Full-text inclusion in Atlas/Atlas PLUS is a separate evaluation. Why: Atla Religion Database is the standard index for religious studies and theology, licensed by seminaries and university libraries in 70+ countries.

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Recognised

GeoRef (American Geosciences Institute) — journal coverage enquiry · Abstracting & indexing (geosciences)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Geoscience journals (geology, geophysics, geochemistry, palaeontology, hydrology, environmental geoscience). No published criteria or form.

Scope: geosciences. ? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. NOT FULLY VERIFIED: AGI's GeoRef information site prints only a general contact email and the names/emails of GeoRef editorial staff on its contact page; there is no dedicated 'suggest a journal' form or stated coverage-request procedure. Publishers should email the general address asking for GeoRef coverage evaluation. GeoRef is distributed via EBSCO, ProQuest and GeoScienceWorld. Why: GeoRef is the most comprehensive geoscience bibliography (4M+ references) and is the discipline's reference index.

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Recognised

Cabells Journalytics — curated journal evaluation database (Academic, Medicine, STEM) · Selective index / Journal evaluation

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free to be evaluated (Cabells sells access to libraries)

Journals are vetted by Cabells' team against its inclusion criteria (peer review, editorial board, publication practices) before listing in Journalytics; the public site is a JavaScript app and publishes no self-service submission form that we could read.

Scope: all (business, education, social sciences, medicine, STEM). ? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: cabells.com rendered only a JavaScript shell to our tools; no 'submit a journal' URL or email was confirmed on an official page. Cabells launched Journalytics STEM in Feb 2026 (official blog), widening scope beyond business/education/medicine. Do not list a route until a human confirms it on cabells.com. Why: Listing in Journalytics signals a vetted, non-predatory journal to the many universities that subscribe to Cabells.

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Recognised

TR Dizin (TÜB?TAK ULAKB?M) — Turkish national citation index · Citation index (national) (TR)

Method: Account · Decision: 12–24 months (1-year monitoring period, 2 years for new journals) then committee · Cost: Free

Turkish scientific journals only. At least one issue published before applying; minimum yearly frequency by field (health 3 issues, engineering/basic sciences 2, social sciences/humanities 1). Editor completes the 'Editor Application Form' in the TR Dizin management system.

Application is created in the ULAKB?M management system (account required). After submission the journal enters a 1-year monitoring period (2 years for newly founded journals); TR Dizin experts pre-screen, then a committee decides using peer-review reports and the published criteria. Accepted journals sign a participation agreement and deposit metadata via the data-entry system. Help desk: jira.ulakbim.gov.tr service desk. Why: The official Turkish national index used for academic promotion and incentive schemes; essential for any journal published in Turkey.

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Recognised

Latindex Catálogo 2.0 — Ibero-American journal quality catalogue · Regional directory / quality catalogue (regional-LatAm)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown (evaluated by the national 'centro de acopio' of the journal's country) · Cost: Free

Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal (plus some Ibero-American-themed journals). Online version must be at least 2 years old and current, have its own institutional/official website, give free access to all content (unless indexed in DOAJ/SciELO), and not be published as a single PDF per issue. Must already be registered in the Latindex Directorio (folio number needed).

Catálogo 2.0 methodology: 38 quality characteristics; all 7 basic mandatory criteria plus at least 23 of the remaining 31 (?30 points) must be met. Editor submits the online form giving a URL evidencing each characteristic; the form does not save drafts. The relevant national acopio centre verifies and validates; recalification possible after 1 year via a separate form. Being in the Directorio (basic registration) is different from the Catálogo. Why: The most widely used quality benchmark for Ibero-American journals, referenced by national evaluation agencies across Latin America and Spain.

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Recognised

SciELO Brasil — Scientific Electronic Library Online (Brazil collection) · Regional/national OA index & full-text collection (BR)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown (two-stage: pre-evaluation of minimum criteria, then expert peer review; · Cost: Free to apply (accepted journals must produce SciELO-compliant XML; production costs are borne by the journal)

Brazilian journals applying to the Brazil collection. Chief editor emails a presentation letter, the 14-tab SciELO submission spreadsheet (open science, editorial board, reviewers, ethics, DEIA etc.), a copy of the peer-review form, and a 3–5 year Editorial Development Plan. Only output from the last two years is assessed; special issues/supplements excluded.

SciELO is a network of national collections (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela, etc.); each collection has its own admission procedure and contact — this entry is the Brazil collection. Criteria require open peer review/open science practices, ORCID for authors, DOIs, CC licences and English content targets. Rejected journals must wait before re-applying. Why: SciELO is the leading Latin American open-access index; inclusion is a recognised quality marker and its metadata flows to WoS (SciELO Citation Index) and Scopus partners.

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Recognised

Redalyc — Ibero-American diamond open-access journal index (UAEM) · Regional OA index (regional-LatAm)

Method: Email · Decision: 4–6 months · Cost: Free

Diamond (no-APC) open-access, peer-reviewed journals, primarily from Ibero-America (also accepts diamond OA journals elsewhere). Journal must commit to digital publishing with JATS XML and non-commercial OA. Step 1 is the QUALITAAD self-assessment tool; a favourable result generates an application letter that the editor/director signs and emails to evaluacion@redalyc.org.

Eight-step process: QUALITAAD self-assessment ? basic-criteria check ? quantitative evaluation ? qualitative internal review ? international evaluation committee ? feedback report ? agreement signing ? continuous quality assurance. Redalyc explicitly rejects APC-based journals. General enquiries: comunicacion@redalyc.org. Process document: Proceso_de_Postulacion_Redalyc_2025_EN.pdf. Why: A highly regarded Latin American quality index and full-text platform (marcalyc XML tooling); a standard requirement for Spanish/Portuguese-language journals.

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Recognised

AJOL — African Journals OnLine · Regional journal platform / index (regional-Africa)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown (assessment starts only when the complete application pack is received) · Cost: Free

Scholarly, actively publishing, peer-reviewed journals with ISSN and eISSN, published by a clearly identified entity based in Africa; management and peer review run from African countries and at least half the editorial board Africa-based. Request the AJOL Application Form by email, then return it with full-text PDFs of past issues, author guidelines, peer-review and plagiarism procedures, editorial board details, fee information and policies.

Email applications@ajol.info to obtain the form; AJOL assesses against its quality criteria and JPPS (Journal Publishing Practices and Standards) framework once everything is supplied. AJOL also hosts content and provides free training for member journals. Why: The largest platform and de-facto quality list for African-published journals, used by universities and funders across the continent.

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Recognised

Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers (Kanalregisteret, HK-dir/NSD) · National accreditation list (NO)

Method: Nomination · Decision: Unknown (proposals assessed against scientific criteria; approved channels get L · Cost: Free

Anyone (typically researchers, librarians or publishers) may propose a new publication channel via the online form. Channels must meet the register's scientific requirements: ISSN, external peer review, national/international authorship, academic editorial board. New channels are assessed for Level 1; Level 2 is decided by the national publishing committee.

The 'Foreslå publiseringskanaler' form is used both for new channels and for changes to existing ones. The register underpins the Norwegian publication indicator and is also reused by other countries (e.g. Denmark used it historically). Journals with no Norwegian authorship can still be listed if nominated. Why: Level-1 status in the Norwegian register is required for Norwegian researchers' publications to count in institutional funding, so authors check it before submitting.

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Recognised

JUFO — Finnish Publication Forum (Julkaisufoorumi) classification · National accreditation list (FI)

Method: Nomination · Decision: 2–5 months (panels evaluate new channels about four times a year) · Cost: Free

Proposals are submitted through the JUFO portal after logging in (Eduuni/Haka authentication, i.e. usually by a member of the Finnish scientific community). Required: channel name, identifiers (ISSN), website, suggested panel and justification. New channels are proposed for Level 1; must be peer reviewed with an expert editorial board.

A publisher outside Finland cannot log in directly; the practical route is to ask a Finnish author/editor or librarian to propose the journal, or email the Publication Forum secretariat. Level 2/3 upgrades are decided in periodic full re-evaluations. Why: JUFO levels feed Finland's university funding model, so Finnish authors preferentially publish in JUFO-rated journals.

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Recognised

J-STAGE — Japan Science and Technology Information Aggregator, Electronic (JST) · National journal platform / index (JP)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown (must go live within 12 months of site provision or approval lapses) · Cost: Free (optional paid add-on services)

Publisher must be a Japanese organisation or run its main editorial/publishing operations in Japan, have at least one editorial board member from a Japanese institution, be non-profit (commercial publishers are excluded) and be able to produce article data itself. Submit the application sheet, bylaws, editorial board list, submission/peer-review rules and (for new journals) a publication plan via the online form; mail two sample issues; obtain an online ISSN from the ISSN Japan Center.

Six-step process on the 'J-STAGE??????????' page: check terms ? submit documents via form ? post sample copies ? obtain e-ISSN ? send stamped application and ISSN notice to the J-STAGE Center (center[at]jstage.jst.go.jp) ? set up the journal site and release. Japanese-language process. Why: The national Japanese platform whose metadata is exported to Scopus, WoS partners and Crossref; the standard home for Japanese society journals.

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Recognised

Dialnet — Fundación Dialnet / Universidad de La Rioja Hispanic bibliographic portal · Regional bibliographic database / discovery (ES)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Priority to journals published in Spain or Ibero-America, or with mostly Spanish-university authors; open access strongly preferred; OJS/OAI-PMH interface valued. Journals of non-collaborating institutions download the 'formulario_alta_revista.docx' and submit it via the support-portal ticket system to Fundación Dialnet, which routes the request.

Scope: all (strongest in humanities, social sciences, law). Indexing is actually done by Dialnet's collaborating institutions (university libraries) that choose titles; the Foundation channels requests from independent publishers. Metadata quality checker available for OAI-PMH feeds. Form link: https://fundaciondialnet.unirioja.es/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/formulario_alta_revista.docx. No dedicated e-mail is printed; use the support-portal ticket. Why: The largest Spanish-language bibliographic portal; Dialnet Métricas are used by Spanish accreditation agencies (ANECA/CNEAI).

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Recognised

Arcif — Arab Citation & Impact Factor (e-Marefa) · Citation index (regional) (regional-Arab)

Method: Email · Decision: Annual (Arcif report released once a year) · Cost: Unknown (not stated on site)

Peer-reviewed academic journals from Arab countries (or Arabic-language). Evaluated on publishing standards (regularity, editorial conventions), editorial content, Arab regional/international diversity of contributors, and citation analysis (self-citation limits).

The Arcif site lists selection criteria and a 'Join us' link but no dedicated application form; the e-Marefa contact page prints publishers@e-marefa.net as the publishers' address. Arcif is run by the commercial database e-Marefa (Amman); annual Arcif reports assign quartiles by discipline. Confirm any fees before proceeding. Why: The most widely cited Arab-world journal impact indicator, referenced by universities across 19 Arab states.

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Recognised

ISC — Islamic World Science Citation Center (Iran) journal indexing · Citation index (regional) (IR)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown (varies with volume; three-stage evaluation, committee meets on schedule · Cost: Free (no fee stated)

ISSN, independent website, at least 2 years' publication history and at least 3 issues, minimum 6 articles per issue / 24 per year, at least 7 editorial board members, documented peer review, plagiarism and ethics policies, ?10% of articles by editors and ?25% of authors from the publisher. Email the request with bibliographic details, editorial board appointment letter and evidence for the 15 criteria to journals@isc.ac (or info@isc.ac).

Stage 1 checks the 15 basic requirements; Stage 2 scores the ISC MJL evaluation form (?75 needed); Stage 3 is the Journals' Evaluation Committee. Accepted journals upload full text via the Fast XML Uploading System. Open to journals from OIC/Islamic-world countries and beyond; requests preferably from an organisational email. Why: The official citation index for Iran and the Islamic-world countries; ISC indexing is recognised in academic promotion rules across several OIC states.

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Recognised

ANVUR journal classification — Italian 'scientific' and 'Class A' journal lists · National accreditation list (IT)

Method: Form · Decision: Up to 180 days from submission (per regulation); applications accepted in biannu · Cost: Free

Editors-in-chief, publishers, scholars or scientific societies may apply via ANVUR's web platform during the open window (last window closed 15 April 2025). 'Scientific' status: at least 1 year and 2 issues published, ?5 research articles/year, at least single-blind peer review, COPE-aligned ethics code, diverse authorship. 'Class A': ?3 years, editorial board ?40% from one institution, evidence of national/international impact.

Scope: humanities, social sciences, law, economics. Applies only to journals in the humanities and social-science areas (Italian areas 10–14: antiquities/philology, history/philosophy/pedagogy, law, economics/statistics, political/social sciences). Classification is used for the ASN national habilitation. Download 'Required data for the application' before the window opens; rejected journals must wait before resubmitting. Contact e-mail on site is obfuscated (see contact page). Why: Being on the ANVUR scientific/Class A lists is what makes a humanities or social-science journal count for Italian academic habilitation.

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Recognised

SINTA / ARJUNA — Indonesian Science and Technology Index via national journal accreditation · Citation index (national) / Accreditation (ID)

Method: Account · Decision: Follows the accreditation/evaluation period (several months) · Cost: Free

Journals enter SINTA only by registering on the ARJUNA national journal accreditation portal and being assessed by the ministry's team against national accreditation regulations; scores map to SINTA 1 (85–100) down to SINTA 6 (30–39). Intended for Indonesian national journals.

SINTA FAQ: 'Jurnal yang akan masuk ke SINTA harus mendaftarkan melalui portal ARJUNA'. Register an account on ARJUNA, submit journal data and self-evaluation, then wait for the accreditation cycle; newly registered journals are asked to wait until the evaluation period completes. ARJUNA has moved domains (ristekdikti ? kemdikbud ? kemdiktisaintek). The ARJUNA site itself could not be opened by our tools (certificate issue) — the route is confirmed from the official SINTA FAQ. Why: SINTA ranking is the official Indonesian government journal tier used for academic promotion and funding; essential for any journal publishing from Indonesia.

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Recognised

MyCite — Malaysian Citation Index (Malaysian Citation Centre, MoHE) · Citation index (national) (MY)

Method: Account · Decision: Annual evaluation call · Cost: Free

Official homepage states publishers 'will be considered for MyCite indexation only if they meet all the criteria specified in the MyCite Journal Selection criteria', and that publishers self-submit and archive articles through the Malaysian Journal Management System (MyJurnal).

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. PARTIALLY VERIFIED: the mycite.mohe.gov.my homepage (opened) confirms the criteria-plus-MyJurnal route, but the selection-criteria page itself and myjurnal.mohe.gov.my timed out, so no application form/email is confirmed. Malaysian-published journals only. Why: MyCite is Malaysia's official citation index used by MoHE for journal performance and academic evaluation.

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Recognised

HJRS — HEC Journal Recognition System (Pakistan Higher Education Commission) · National recognition / Accreditation (PK)

Method: Account · Decision: Annual accreditation cycle · Cost: Free

HEC accredits Pakistan-based research journals into W/X/Y categories through an annual call; journals register/apply on the HJRS portal and are assessed on HEC's journal policy criteria.

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: hjrs.hec.gov.pk and the HEC policy PDF failed to load (TLS certificate / robots) from our environment; the HEC 'Recognized Journals' page we opened is only a search list. Eligibility is Pakistan-based journals only. A human should confirm the current call on hjrs.hec.gov.pk (FAQ at index.php?r=site/faq). Why: HEC recognition is mandatory for Pakistani academic promotion and funding credit.

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Recognised

TCI — Thai-Journal Citation Index Centre (journal quality tiers 1–2) · Citation index (national) (TH)

Method: Form · Decision: Periodic evaluation rounds (5-year rounds plus annual intake of new journals) · Cost: Free

TCI evaluates Thai journals (published in Thailand) for inclusion in the TCI database in Tier 1/2; new journals submit data during announced intake windows ('???????????????????????????????????? TCI').

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: tci-thailand.org is a JavaScript-only site and its announcement pages ('?????????????! ??????????????????????????', ?p=9856; list at ?page_id=5983) rendered nothing to our tools. Thai-language process; Thailand-published journals only. Confirm in a browser. Why: TCI tiering determines whether Thai institutions count publications for promotion and funding.

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Recognised

KCI — Korea Citation Index (National Research Foundation of Korea journal accreditation) · Citation index (national) (KR)

Method: Account · Decision: Annual evaluation cycle (call announced each year) · Cost: Free

NRF runs an annual journal evaluation (???? for new candidate journals, ????, ???) for journals published by Korean academic societies/institutions; applications are made through the KCI portal during the announced window.

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: kci.go.kr guidance and announcement pages are blocked to automated fetching (robots.txt); only Korean-language pages exist. Eligibility is effectively limited to domestic (Korean) journals. A Korean-speaking staff member should confirm the current-year notice (e.g. '2025?? ????? ??'). Why: KCI listing is the official Korean journal accreditation used in researcher evaluation and feeds Web of Science's KCI-Korean Journal Database.

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Recognised

PSYNDEX (ZPID / Leibniz Institute for Psychology) — journal proposal, searchable via PubPsych · Abstracting & indexing (psychology, German-speaking countries) (DE)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Journal must be relevant to psychology or psychology-related fields, not yet regularly indexed in PSYNDEX, and publish work by authors affiliated with institutions in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland); articles must be in German or English. Send the past three issues/volumes electronically as email attachments.

Scope: psychology and related fields (DACH-region authorship). Email the Head of Information Services (Katja Trillitzsch) with the sample issues. Selection criteria are on https://psyndex.de/en/about/coverage/selection/. Journals with no DACH-affiliated authors are out of scope. PSYNDEX records are freely searchable through PubPsych and licensed via EBSCO/Ovid. Why: PSYNDEX is the authoritative psychology database for Germany, Austria and Switzerland and feeds the free PubPsych search portal.

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Recognised

African Index Medicus (WHO Regional Office for Africa) — submit your journal · Regional health index

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Health, biomedical and public-health journals published in Africa (the index exists to give visibility to locally published African biomedical information). Journal details and sample content are requested for integration.

Scope: medicine, biomedical research, public health (African journals). The site says 'submit your journal for integration into the African Index Medicus' with a 'Submit your Journal' link, but that link currently resolves to '#' (broken). Use the email printed in the site footer (WHO AFRO Library, Brazzaville). AIM content is also searchable through WHO's Global Index Medicus. Non-African journals are out of scope. Why: AIM is WHO's regional index for African health literature and feeds Global Index Medicus, making African medical journals discoverable to international researchers.

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Recognised

OCLC Content Partner Program — WorldCat knowledge base / WorldCat Discovery content provider onboarding · Library discovery (knowledge base)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown (business-development follow-up, then KBART/data exchange) · Cost: Free (partnership; no fee stated)

Publishers, aggregators and other content providers. OCLC's business-development team follows up after the contact form; expect to supply a KBART title list / full-text URLs and ongoing metadata feeds so a collection can be created in the WorldCat knowledge base used by WorldShare Collection Manager and WorldCat Discovery.

Distinct from the existing WorldCat code (which covers catalogue records). This is the 'content partner program' route: https://www.oclc.org/en/partnerships.html states 'OCLC's content partner program is for publishers, aggregators, and other content providers…' and links the Formstack contact form. OCLC's open-access page (https://www.oclc.org/en/open-access.html) also says 'Interested in contributing? Contact our Business Development team'. The Formstack form itself could not be opened by our fetcher (robots.txt), but the link is printed on the official partnerships page. Small OA journals are typically picked up in the knowledge base via DOAJ/aggregator collections rather than a dedicated collection; a dedicated collection makes sense for publishers with ? several titles or a hosted platform. Why: A WorldCat knowledge base collection lets thousands of OCLC WorldShare/WorldCat Discovery libraries activate your journals in one click, so your titles appear in their catalogues and link

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Recognised

British Library — non-print legal deposit of e-journals (UK & Ireland) · National library deposit (GB)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown (statutory obligation; ingest scheduled with Digital Processing team) · Cost: Free (legal obligation for publishers)

Applies to any publication distributed in the UK and Ireland regardless of format or language. E-journals are deposited either via Portico (the BL liaises with Portico directly) or by arrangement with the Digital Processing team at LDO-Electronic@bl.uk.

Legal obligation, not a marketing opportunity — but deposited e-journals appear in the BL and other legal-deposit-library catalogues (Bodleian, Cambridge, NLS, NLW, TCD). At time of checking the page still said e-journal submission was disrupted following the October 2023 cyber-attack and the publisher portal/file-transfer routes were unavailable; email is the working route. Irish publishers can use Trinity College Dublin's edepositIreland. Scottish publishers go through the National Library of Scotland / Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries. Why: Meets UK/Irish legal deposit and gets your journal into the six legal-deposit libraries' catalogues and long-term preservation.

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Recognised

Deutsche Nationalbibliothek — Ablieferung periodischer Netzpublikationen (e-journal deposit) · National library deposit (DE)

Method: Account · Decision: Immediate after registration (title notification then ongoing deliveries) · Cost: Free; DNB assigns URNs at no charge

Obligation (and therefore eligibility) applies to companies, institutions or persons who have the right to distribute the work AND have their seat, branch office or main residence in Germany. Three routes: web form after login at https://services.dnb.de/dnb-cas/login ('Periodische Publikation – Titelmeldung' then '– Lieferung'), OAI-PMH harvesting from the publisher's repository, or Hotfolder (FTP/SFTP/WebDAV) for large volumes.

Statutory deposit under the DNBG/PflAV. Non-German publishers are not eligible/obliged. Deposited e-journals are catalogued in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie and the DNB catalogue, which feeds German union catalogues. Contact: Service Netzpublikationen, np-info@dnb.de, +49 341 2271-282. Why: Free national-bibliography cataloguing, URN persistent identifiers and preservation for any German-based journal publisher.

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Recognised

National Diet Library (Japan) — e-legal deposit of online publications · National library deposit (JP)

Method: Account · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Private-sector publishers (excluding public organisations) in Japan must deposit online publications; free/DRM-free content since 1 July 2013 and paid/DRM-protected content since 1 January 2023. Deposit via the portal by automatic acquisition, electronic transmission or mailing. Where publisher and distributor differ, the publisher is obliged.

Statutory (National Diet Library Law). Exemptions include confidential publications and simple items such as blogs, forms, guides and product catalogues. Email printed as online[at]ndl.go.jp (Digital Library Division, Kansai-kan). English guidance: https://www.ndl.go.jp/en/collect/online. Why: Japanese journals gain NDL cataloguing (NDL Search/CiNii visibility) and permanent preservation.

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Recognised

National edeposit (NED) — Australian national/state library e-journal deposit · National library deposit (AU)

Method: Account · Decision: Immediate (self-service portal) · Cost: Free

Australian publications 'created electronically' that are freely available online, sold, or distributed to members/subscribers. Serials (journals, magazines, newsletters) are accepted; publishers depositing serials or more than one item should create a NED account (https://ned.gov.au/resources/create-an-account.html). Six-step deposit: publication type, details, access conditions, reuse conditions, publisher details, review & submit.

One deposit satisfies legal deposit with the National Library of Australia and all state/territory libraries. ned@nla.gov.au is printed for queries about overseas publications; general support via https://ned.gov.au/ned/contact. Deposited titles appear in Trove and the NLA catalogue. Why: Australian journals get Trove/NLA catalogue records and preservation with a single free deposit that covers every state library.

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Recognised

National Library of India (Kolkata) — Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act 1954 deposit · National library deposit (IN)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free (statutory deposit; publisher bears postage)

Under the DB Act 1954 every Indian publisher must deliver a copy of each book/periodical to the National Library, Kolkata and to three other receiving libraries (Connemara Chennai, Delhi Public Library, Asiatic Society Mumbai). The Act as printed covers print books and newspapers/periodicals; there is no established online-only e-journal deposit route.

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. NOT VERIFIED: nationallibrary.gov.in (the 'For Publisher' page and the DB Act PDF) could not be opened — the site returned 503 / connection timeouts on every attempt, so the exact delivery address and any e-mail could not be confirmed. Do not publish an email for this entry. Practical value for online-only journals is low; it matters for print/hybrid Indian journals. Why: Legal compliance for Indian print journals and inclusion in the Indian National Bibliography.

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Recognised

REDIB — Red Iberoamericana de Innovación y Conocimiento Científico (journal platform) · Regional index / Discovery

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Journal must meet REDIB's formal and content quality criteria and give direct access to full text (an embargo of up to six months on the latest issue is acceptable). Journal must be able to supply metadata either via an OAI-PMH data provider or manual entry in the publisher area, and display the REDIB logo linking to the portal.

Application = the 'Solicitud de revista' web form (asks about OAI provider and usage rights/Creative Commons). REDIB evaluates and emails the editor a decision; if rejected, it sends the reasons/modifications needed. On acceptance REDIB issues publisher-area credentials. Scope is Ibero-American scholarship (journals from Ibero-American countries or with Ibero-American content) — confirm eligibility for journals outside that region before applying. A contact email exists on the site but is obfuscated; use the form. Why: REDIB is the main Ibero-American quality index and discovery platform (with its own journal ranking), widely checked by Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking researchers and evaluators.

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Recognised

BanglaJOL — Bangladesh Journals Online (INASP/Bangladesh Academy of Sciences JOL platform) · National journal platform / Discovery (BD)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free (no fee stated)

Journal must be scholarly with original research, peer reviewed and quality controlled, able to supply full content (tables of contents, abstracts and PDFs), and published within Bangladesh with publishing strategy, business development and production run from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh-only. Email the BanglaJOL team to propose a journal ('we are always looking for more titles'). BanglaJOL runs on OJS and is managed by the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (formerly INASP). Not relevant for journals published outside Bangladesh. Why: The national OJS platform for Bangladeshi journals; inclusion gives hosting, DOIs and visibility in Google Scholar and international aggregators.

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Recognised

eLIBRARY.RU / ???? (Russian Science Citation Index) — journal inclusion · Citation index (national) (RU)

Method: Login · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Unknown (a publisher agreement with the Scientific Electronic Library is required; some services are paid)

Publisher signs a licence agreement with ??? ??????? ??????????? ?????????? and uploads issues through the publisher account; RSCI (the selective Web-of-Science-linked subset) is chosen by a working group under a separate regulation.

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: elibrary.ru pages (publisher regulation PDF, contracts page, RSCI press page) could not be fetched from our environment (robots/403). Practical caution: eLIBRARY is a Russian company; Western publishers may face sanctions-compliance, payment and geo-blocking issues, and Clarivate suspended RSCI-related activity in Russia in 2022. Treat as Russian/CIS-relevant only. Why: The national citation index used for Russian academic evaluation; relevant only to journals with a Russian-language or CIS audience.

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Recognised

NepJOL — Nepal Journals Online (JOL platform) · National journal platform / Discovery (NP)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free (no fee stated on sister platform)

By analogy with the other JOL platforms, journals must be scholarly, peer reviewed, able to supply TOCs/abstracts/PDFs and be published and managed within Nepal.

? Application route not yet confirmed by us — open the page in a browser and check before applying. UNVERIFIED: nepjol.info about page timed out for our tools, so the NepJOL contact email and exact criteria were not confirmed (the BanglaJOL sister page was). Nepal-only. Why: National OJS hosting platform for Nepalese journals with DOI and Google Scholar exposure.

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Discovery & aggregators

DergiPark (TÜB?TAK ULAKB?M) — Turkish national journal hosting & discovery platform · National hosting / discovery platform (TR)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Peer-reviewed, open-access academic journals published in Turkey. New journals must be published by a university or public institution (with official authorisation document); journals with at least a 1-year archive may come from universities, public bodies, associations, foundations or professional chambers; privately published journals must already be indexed in TR Dizin, WoS or Scopus.

Applications are now made by the publisher through a designated 'Yay?n Koordinatörü' (publication coordinator) and the 'Dergi Sihirbaz?' journal wizard; the publisher must have a verifiable physical address and a publisher page, following COPE transparency principles. DergiPark is a hosting/editorial-workflow platform, not a selective index, but it is the normal on-ramp to TR Dizin. Detailed procedure lives on confluence.ulakbim.gov.tr (help desk). Why: Free national OA hosting that puts a Turkish journal in front of the national research community and feeds TR Dizin.

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Discovery & aggregators

CEEOL — Central and Eastern European Online Library · Regional full-text library / discovery (regional-CEE)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown ('validated by the CEEOL team and notified as soon as possible') · Cost: Free for paid content (revenue-sharing); participation fee for open-access journals and eBooks

Humanities and social sciences content from or about Central, East and South-East Europe. Publisher completes the online participation form (organisation details, VAT number, representative); after evaluation a distribution licensing agreement is signed.

Scope: humanities, social sciences. Three steps: online application ? evaluation by publisher support team ? licensing agreement. Full text is indexed in Google Scholar, Primo and Summon. OA titles pay a participation fee covering hosting, indexing and marketing; subscription content earns annual revenue share. Country coordinators support publishers. Why: The main discovery and licensing channel for CEE humanities/social-science journals, subscribed by hundreds of Western libraries.

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Discovery & aggregators

Garuda (Garba Rujukan Digital) — Indonesian national scholarly discovery portal · National discovery index (ID)

Method: Form · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Peer-reviewed journals with ISSN (registered with the ISSN Centre) that have published at least two issues, with unrestricted online access to at least two consecutive current issues. Form captures contact, ISSN/e-ISSN, DOI, website, editorial-board URL, Google Scholar profile, Arjuna/Garuda subject categories, OA status, OJS use and frequency. 'Only editors of the publisher use this form.'

Garuda harvests metadata (OJS/OAI) from Indonesian journals and is the discovery layer linked to SINTA; it is separate from SINTA accreditation (Arjuna). Guidebook is linked from the portal. Primarily Indonesian journals. Why: Garuda IDs are required for Indonesian journals' SINTA profiles and give national visibility for Indonesia-published titles.

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Discovery & aggregators

Philippine E-Journals (PEJ) — Philippine journal aggregator platform · National journal platform (PH)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Not stated on site

Philippine peer-reviewed journals with at least one volume/issue containing at least five articles, print and online ISSN, and final-format editable PDFs (the platform does not typeset or scan hard copies). Institutions email journal details to info@philippineejournals.com.

Operated by C&E Publishing; PEJ is a hosting/aggregation platform subscribed by Philippine university libraries, not a selective citation index. The FAQ explains how to obtain an e-ISSN from the National Library of the Philippines. Why: The main discovery channel for Philippine journals in Philippine academic libraries.

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Discovery & aggregators

SLJOL — Sri Lanka Journals Online (National Science Foundation) · National journal platform (LK)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Journals published within Sri Lanka (publishing strategy and production run from Sri Lanka), scholarly with original research, peer reviewed, able to supply tables of contents, abstracts and full-text PDFs electronically. Contact the Journal Manager by email.

Part of the INASP-originated Journals Online network (with NepJOL, BanglaJOL, VJOL etc.), now run by the NSF Sri Lanka on OJS. No formal application form; email the Journal Manager. Why: National OA platform that gives Sri Lankan journals DOIs, OJS hosting and international discovery.

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Discovery & aggregators

VJOL — Vietnam Journals Online (NASATI/VISTA) · National journal platform (VN)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free

Journals holding a Vietnamese publishing licence, with scientific content, published at least twice a year, accepting an embargo of no more than 12 months before content appears on VJOL. Download and return the participation agreement ('M?u th?a thu?n') and registration form ('Phi?u ??ng ký') to the VJOL office.

Run by the National Agency for Science and Technology Information (24 Lý Th??ng Ki?t, Hanoi). Member journals receive OJS training; no fees. Vietnamese-language process. Why: The national OA aggregator for Vietnamese journals, indexed by Google Scholar and used by Vietnamese research institutions.

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Discovery & aggregators

TDNet — discovery service / knowledge base content partnership · Library discovery (knowledge base)

Method: Email · Decision: Unknown · Cost: Free (no fee stated)

Email the TDNet content team to have your journals indexed in the TDNet Central Index (750M+ records) and knowledge base; expect to supply a title list / metadata feed.

Smaller vendor (strong in corporate, medical and Israeli/European libraries) than OCLC/EBSCO/Ex Libris. The 'Partner with us' page prints only a mailto link (content@tdnet.com, subject 'Partner with TDNet'); no form. Springer Nature/BMC journals list 'TD Net Discovery Service' on their indexing pages. Why: Adds your journal to another discovery index/knowledge base used by corporate, hospital and academic libraries, and gives you one more named service for your 'Indexed in' page.

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Stage 0 · Foundation

Stage 1 · Abstracting, metadata & scholarly discovery

Stage 2 · Library & institutional discovery

Stage 3 · Digital preservation

Stage 4 · Professional publishing membership

Stage 5 · Machine-readable interoperability

Stage 6 · Selective indexes

Stage 7 · National & regional indexes, deposit & library knowledge bases

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