Improved visibility for Diamond Open Access journals

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has entered into a three-year service agreement with the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) effective 1 May. The DOAJ is an international index of quality-assured open access journals. The aim of the agreement is to enhance the visibility of open access journals published in Germany, with a particular focus on Diamond Open Access journals and those funded by the DFG.

In scholarly publishing, the DOAJ is a key reference point for libraries, authors, reviewers and editors when assessing the trustworthiness of open access journals in terms of technical standards and quality assurance procedures, thereby helping to counteract predatory publishing practices. Since the DOAJ was founded, the criteria for inclusion in the index have become a gold standard for open access journals. Nonetheless, most open access journals based in Germany have yet to begin the application process. 

For this reason, the service agreement includes various support measures for journal editors, scholarly societies, libraries and other stakeholders, along with an analysis of the practical obstacles and challenges that hinder inclusion in the DOAJ. 

Since December 2024, the DFG funding programme “Infrastructures for Scholarly Publishing” (which includes funding for open access journals) has made pursuing DOAJ inclusion a funding requirement. The programme “Open Access Publication Funding” likewise encourages applicant institutions to use the DOAJ as a benchmark when assessing the technical and procedural quality of open access journals.

The service agreement enters into force alongside the launch of the DFG-funded Service Centre for Diamond Open Access (SeDOA) and includes a planned cooperation between SeDOA and DOAJ. Improved visibility for Diamond Open Access journals – which are free of charge for readers and authors – published at German universities and research institutions can help build wider recognition of these infrastructures as subject-specific publishing platforms of a high technical quality. It can also support researchers in evaluating specific open access journals and help dispel concerns.

Further Information 

Detailed information on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is available on the DOAJ website(externer Link).

For further information on the German Service Centre for Diamond Open Access (SeDOA), see the SeDOA website(externer Link).

The guidelines for the DFG funding programmes “Infrastructures for Scholarly Publishing” (DFG form 12.11(interner Link)) and “Open Access Publication Funding” (DFG form 12.21(interner Link)) are available via the relevant links. 

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