How to Apply

Journal must adhere to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing as outlined by DOAJ/COPE.

Journal Content

Name of Journal

• The journal’s name should:
• Be unique and not be one that is easily confused with another journal.
• Not mislead potential authors and readers about the journal’s origin, scope, or association with other journals and organizations.

Website

• Websites need to be secure, maintained, and compliant with ethical web standards. At a minimum, websites should operate under HTTPS rather than HTTP and redirect all traffic to HTTPS.
• Those responsible for the website should apply web standards and best ethical practices to the website’s content, presentation, and application.
• The website should not contain information that might mislead readers or authors.
• The website should not copy another journal/publisher’s site, design, or logo.
• The website should be original and distinct from the designs of other journals, ensuring clear presentation and functionality.

In addition to the requirements specified below, the following items must be prominently displayed:

• The journal must have its own dedicated URL and homepage that is accessible from any anywhere
• Every article must be published as a separate full-text available article.
  • Each article needs to have its own unique URL
  • Articles should be provided in HTML or PDF format at the very least
• Aims and scope to be clearly mentioned
• The intended audience for the journal must be defined.
• The types of manuscripts the journal accepts for publication should be outlined
  (for example, indicating that multiple or redundant submissions are not permitted).
• Authorship criteria
• ISSNs (separate for print and electronic versions)
  • A journal must have at least one ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) that is registered and confirmed at issn.org.
• Publisher details
  • The journal must provide the name and address of the publisher, with a link to the publisher website, if available.
  • Include the name of a contact person and the journal's dedicated email address.
  • The country given in the application and on the journal website must be where the publisher is registered and carries out its business activities.
• Vigyan Central does not support the use of Impact Factors or ranking metrics. However, journals may display the Journal Impact Factor calculated by Clarivate and metrics from Scopus. Journals are prohibited from showing any references (images, links, logos) to Impact Factors or ranking metrics from other services.

Publishing Schedule

• A journal should explicitly outline its publishing frequency and adhere to this schedule unless exceptional circumstances arise.

Archiving

• The journal must have a clear plan for the electronic backup and long-term preservation of its content, especially in case it ceases operations or if the publisher stops functioning. Options include platforms like PMC, PORTICO, CLOCKS, and others listed in the Keepers Registry.

Copyright

• The copyright terms for published content should be clearly outlined on the journal’s website and within the articles
• These terms should be distinct from the copyright associated with the website.
• The name of the copyright holder should be included in the full text of all published articles (both HTML and PDF formats).
• If the copyright terms are available separately, they should be easily locatable on the website and accessible to everyone.

Licensing

• Information about licensing should be clearly presented on the journal's website.
• Licensing terms must be indicated on the complete text of all published articles (HTML and PDF).
• Content identified as Open Access must employ an open licence (Ex: Creative Commons). such as those from Creative Commons.
• Clear policies regarding the posting of author manuscripts and published articles in third party repositories should be provided.
• If Creative Commons licences are used, the relevant terms of should link back to the appropriate Creative Commons webpage.

Journal Practices

Publication Ethics and Related Editorial Policies

• A journal should have established policies regarding publication ethics (for example, COPE’s Core Practice guidance ). These must be readily available on the website and include :
• Journal’s policies on authorship and contributions
• Procedures for addressing complaints and appeals
• Approaches for handling allegations of research misconduct
• Policies concerning on conflicts of interest
• on data sharing and reproducibility
• Ethical oversight procedures
• Intellectual property policies
• discussions Options for post-publication discussions
• Policies on corrections and retractions

Peer Review

• Details about whether the content undergoes peer review should be provided, including who conducts the reviews (e.g., external experts or editorial board members).The type of peer review process(es) used:
  • Single Blind
  • Double Blind
  • Triple Blind
  • Open
• The journal should also define any policies related to the peer review process, such as
  • Acceptance of author-recommended reviewers
  • Identity masking procedures and who is concealed from whom
  • Whether supplementary material are peer reviewed
  • If reviews are published alongside articles
  • If reviews are anonymous or signed
• The process involved in making final decisions about manuscripts and the individuals involved
• Any exceptions to the peer review process for specific article types that may bypass it.

Organization

Ownership and Management

• The ownership and management details of a journal must be clearly displayed on the journal’s website.
• It’s important that the organizational names do not mislead potential authors or editors regarding who owns the journal.
• If a journal is affiliated with a society, institution, or sponsor, relevant links to their websites should be provided when possible.

Editorial Board

Journals should have editorial boards or other advisory committees composed of recognised experts in the fields mentioned in the journal’s aims and scope.

• The full names and affiliations of the members should be accessible on the journal’s website.
• The list should be current, and members must consent to their roles.
• To avoid links to predatory or misleading journals, it’s advisable for journals to periodically assess their board for continued relevance and appropriateness.
• Additionally, the Journal’s Editorial Board should have a diverse membership, avoiding concentration from a single institution.

Editorial Team/Contact Information

Journals are expected to provide the full names and affiliations of their editorial team and include contact details for the editorial office, such as a complete mailing address, on the journal’s website

Business Practices

Author Fees

• If there are charges for authors ( like article processing charges, page charges, editorial processing charges, language editing fees, colour charges, submission fees, membership fees, or other supplementary charges), these should be clearly outlined on the journal’s website.
• If no fees exist , this should be explicitly stated.
• Information about author fees should be easily accessible and presented early in the submission process .
• In the event that a journal is planning to introduce author charges later, this should be communicated.
  • If fee waivers are available, this information must be clearly defined, including details on:Eligibility for a waiver
  • Which author(s) of the group must be qualify for the waiver to apply.
  • The process of applying for a waiver
• It should also be made clear that author fees or the status of waivers will not affect editorial decisions.

Other Revenue

• The journal's business model or revenue sources must be transparently communicated on its website.
• This could include author fees (as outlined previously), subscriptions, sponsorships, advertising, reprints, supplements, or special issues.
• Revenue sources (for example, reprint income, supplements, special issues, sponsorships) should not affect editorial decision-making.

Advertising

• Journals should disclose whether they accept advertisements and if so, provide their advertising policy, including:
  • the types of acceptable advertisements
  • decision-makers regarding advertisement acceptance
  • Whether ads are connected to content or reader behavior or displayed randomly.
• Advertisements must remain separate from editorial decision-making and from the published content.
• Journal should abstain from intrusive advertising

Direct Marketing

• Any direct marketing efforts, including manuscripts solicitation, that are conducted on behalf of the journal should be suitable, well-targeted, and discreet. Information provided about the publisher or journal should be accurate and not misleading for readers or authors.

For Open Access Journals:

• Must include a statement that confirms it meets the definition of Open Access as per OASPA.
• The journal should be actively publishing scholarly research
  • Any research subject area
  • Must release at least ten research articles annually
  • Target audience should primarily consist of researchers or practitioners
• The full text of all content must be freely accessible without delay.
  • No embargo period
  • No registration is required for users to access the content.
  • Charging for a print version is allowed.

For Closed Access Journals:

• The journal must be actively publishing scholarly research.
  • Any research subject area
  • Publish at least ten research articles per year
  • Primary target audience of researchers or practitioners
• The full text of all content must be accessible at all times through any dedicated IP allocation or individual login during the period of evaluation
  • Embargo period is applicable
  • Requires users to register to read content