Reasons journals are not found in DOAJ

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/12.8707

Keywords:

DOAJ, rejections

Abstract

DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) is considered by many the authoritative database of scholarly open access journals. Still, many such journals are not found there. Based on rejection data from DOAJ this article tries to shed light on some of the major reasons journals have their applications rejected. Understanding why applications are rejected can inform us as to what can be done to improve the situation. The data point to lack of resources as a major problem. Many applications are from journals that do not meet the criteria or are predatory, but many are also from journals that could very well deserve a listing in DOAJ – they just are not able to complete an application with all relevant information in place.

Author Biography

  • Jan Erik Frantsvåg, UiT The Arctic University of Norway

    Open Access Adviser/Academic Librarian, Research and Publication Services, University Library.

References

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International Standard Serial Number International Centre and Jan Erik Frantsvåg. 2026. Replication Data for: Reasons journals are not found in DOAJ [Data set]. DataverseNO, V1. https://doi.org/10.18710/6K2ZUT.

Shen, Cenyu and Bo-Christer Björk. 2015. ‘Predatory’ open access: A longitudinal study of article volumes and market characteristics. BMC Medicine 13: 230. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0469-2.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Frantsvåg, J. E. (2026). Reasons journals are not found in DOAJ. Nordlyd, 49(1), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.7557/12.8707