New criteria for special issues – DOAJ News Service

"There has been a proliferation of special issues recently. DOAJ is responding to concerns from the community by adding new criteria to its Basic criteria. After today, all new applications submitted must comply with them....

Journals that publish special issues or other content curated by guest editors must adhere to these additional criteria:

• The Editor-in-Chief must be responsible for the content of the entire journal, including all special issues, which must fall within the scope of the journal
• Special issue articles must have the same editorial oversight as regular papers, including external peer review, and be clearly labelled
• Journals must ensure that guest editors’ credentials are checked and approved
• The Editor-in-Chief or dedicated board members must oversee the guest editors
• Papers submitted to a special issue by the guest editor(s) must be handled under an independent review process and make up no more than 25% of the issue’s total

DOAJ will not accept a journal if all content in the last year/volume is published as special issues...."