Other resource: Directory of Open Access Journals

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is an index of OA peer-reviewed journals maintained and updated by volunteer editors (of whom the author of this blog is one). At the time of this update, there were roughly 9,000 OA journals listed in the directory.

DOAJ has existed since 2003, initially as a project of Sweden’s Lund University and (currently) as its own non-profit entity, managed by Infrastructure Services for Open Access, a UK-based company which aims to “facilitate easy access to OA resources” (source).

The bulk of DOAJ‘s site consists of a searchable, browsable list of vetted OA journals. End-users can search the list or browse it by DOAJ-editor-selected subject area—although the search interface can be a little buggy sometimes.

Each journal page contains basic information about the journal’s aims and scope, the type of peer review used, and links to its instructions for authors and editorial board. Each journal page also includes information about whether or not that journal levies article processing charges (APCs) or submission charges at authors publishing in or submitting to it, as well as whether those fees can be waived in some situations. However, this information is not always available for journals which were added to the directory earlier in its history and which have not recently been reviewed. Some journals also provide article-level metadata to the directory; those that do will list published articles on their journal page as well as the above information.

Although the directory does have its quirks, its status as an index of quality OA journals makes it a must-use resource for anyone looking to publish their research in an OA environment.