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Open Access

Need an ISSN?

Contact the Open Access office to apply.

What you need to apply:

  • The medium/format of your publication, i.e. print, online, etc.
  • Publication title
  • Publication place
  • Corporate author (if applicable)
  • Publisher information (and co-publisher if applicable)
  • Publication information (subject, editorial type, frequency, language)
  • URL of publication

Read more about ISSNs.

Definition of a South African Journal

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) advises the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in reviewing South African journals for inclusion in their accredited list. There are various criteria, one being that the journal must be South African. What does that mean? There are general principles that can be used to identify a South African journal:

  1. The process for the establishment of the journal must be in South Africa.
  2. The name of the journal is not an issue for the recognition of being South African.
  3. The journal should be initiated by a South African institution, e.g. a university or scholarly society.
  4. The participation of South African scholars as authors of the content in the journal should be at a level of at least 40% of the research articles published in a two-year period.
  5. The focus of the journal should be on scholarly work emanating from South Africa.
  6. The editor of the journal should preferably be based in South Africa, with the editorial board significantly representing South Africa.

The University of the Free State's scholarly journals

Want to become a KovsieJournal?

To apply to become a KovsieJournals journal, and/or be hosted on the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform of the UFS, you need to complete the application form below. The UFS Journal Editors Committee reviews applications for new journals quarterly. Remember, KovsieJournals are Open Access and all the content of the journal you are applying for must be available immediately upon publication. A remit* of the editorial team for the journal should accompany all applications.

*The remit should include:

  • The composition of the editorial team (two thirds of the editorial board members must be beyond a single institution, and which is reflective of expertise in the relevant subject area).
  • The status of the members of the editorial board must be stated together with their institutional affiliations.
  • Contact details of the editorial members.
  • Duties of the editorial team members.

Here is an example of a remit:

Resources for new journals

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