How to Start an Academic Journal
Starting an academic journal requires a defined scope, editorial board, ISSN registration, peer review system, journal management software, and a publication ethics policy — in that order.
Step 1: Define Scope and Audience
Before anything technical, define what your journal will cover and who it will serve.
- Scope — What disciplines, topics, and article types will the journal publish? A narrow scope is better than a vague one. "Computational methods in neuroscience" is more useful to potential authors than "science and technology."
- Audience — Who are your target authors (researchers, practitioners, students)? Who are your target readers?
- Differentiation — What gap in the existing literature does this journal fill? Why would a researcher choose your journal over existing options?
Write this as a formal Aims & Scope statement — it will be used in ISSN applications, indexing applications, and on the journal website.
Step 2: Recruit an Editorial Board
An editorial board gives the journal credibility and provides the expertise needed to manage peer review.
- Editor-in-Chief — Must be a recognized expert in the field with a publication record
- Associate Editors — Cover sub-disciplines within the journal's scope
- Editorial Board Members — Provide additional reviewing capacity and field expertise
DOAJ and Scopus require that editorial board members be listed with their affiliations on the journal website. Board members must be real, verifiable people at real institutions.
Step 3: Register an ISSN
Apply for an E-ISSN (and P-ISSN if you plan to publish in print) through your national ISSN centre. In India, this is the ISSN National Centre at CSIR-NISCPR.
The application requires:
- A sample of the journal (at least the cover/homepage and a table of contents)
- Journal title, subtitle, publisher name and address
- Frequency of publication
- The format (online, print, or both)
Registration typically takes 2–6 weeks.
Step 4: Set Up Publication Ethics Policy
Every journal must have a documented publication ethics policy before accepting submissions. This policy must cover:
- Authorship criteria (who qualifies as an author vs. contributor)
- Conflict of interest disclosure requirements
- Plagiarism and self-plagiarism policy
- Data sharing and reproducibility policy
- How corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern are handled
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) provides free templates. Adopting COPE guidelines is required for most indexing applications.
Step 5: Choose a Journal Management System
A journal management system (JMS) is the technical platform that runs your journal. You need it for:
- Accepting manuscript submissions through a structured author portal
- Assigning manuscripts to reviewers and tracking review status
- Sending editorial decisions and revision requests
- Publishing accepted articles with proper metadata
- DOI registration through CrossRef
ScholarJMS is a managed cloud JMS designed for academic journals, including full setup support, CrossRef integration, and DOAJ/Scopus application assistance.
Step 6: Apply for CrossRef DOI Registration
Apply for CrossRef membership to enable DOI registration for published articles. CrossRef membership requires:
- A valid ISSN
- A functioning journal website
- Agreement to CrossRef's membership terms
Once approved, ScholarJMS can automatically register DOIs for each article at the time of publication.
Step 7: Apply for Indexing
After publishing at least one complete issue, apply for indexing in open databases first:
- DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) — For open access journals; free application; typically 3–6 months review time
- Google Scholar — Automatically indexed via OAI-PMH if your JMS provides the endpoint
- UGC CARE — For Indian journals; requires 2+ published issues and ISSN
- Scopus — After 2+ years of regular publication; more competitive application process
Do not apply to Scopus or Web of Science in the first year — they require a publication history.