Let's Do It Right: Fixing Common Issues in Diamond Open Access Journals

This guide seeks to help editors, publishers, journal managers and technical support staff identify and address common problems encountered in open access journals that can have a significant impact on a journal's transparency, discoverability, compliance with good publishing practices, and eligibility for inclusion in indexing services and directories. Although such issues may seem less urgent than soliciting manuscripts, managing peer review or ensuring timely publication, seemingly minor inconsistencies – such as failing to clearly and consistently display copyright and licensing information – can undermine a journal’s credibility and affect its reputation. This guide has been developed as part of the Collaboration for Sustainable Open Access Publishing in Africa project, funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant number 228148/Z/23/Z). The authors would like to thank the members of the No-Fee Open Access Publishing in Africa Community of Practice, established within the framework of this project, for their valuable input.