Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS) Guide for Journals

After publishing the Diamond Open Access Standard framework and a shorter version in brochure format, the DIAMAS Project has released the Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS) Guide for Journals.

Why the DOAS Guide for Journals?

The original DOAS is designed for Diamond OA publishers and service providers. Through webinars and workshops promoting DOAS, we have noticed that many journal editors struggle to apply some DOAS requirements at the individual journal level. Since editors and editorial teams are usually responsible for implementing improvements in journals, we developed the DOAS Guide for Journals – a practical resource tailored specifically for them. This guide translates the DOAS requirements to the context of individual journals, making it easier for them to align with DOAS and enhance their publishing quality.

The DOAS Guide for Journals provides a structured overview of essential requirements and additional recommendations for further improvement organized according to the seven core components of scholarly publishing outlined in DOAS:

  1. Funding
  2. Legal ownership, mission, and governance
  3. Open Science
  4. Editorial management, editorial quality, and research integrity
  5. Technical service efficiency
  6. Visibility, communication, marketing, and impact
  7.  Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB), multilingualism, and gender equity

While the guide builds on existing best practice resources for journals, it provides guidance tailored specifically for Diamond OA journals.

How to use the DOAS Guide for Journals

Editorial teams can use the guide to analyse their current practices against DOAS requirements, identify areas for improvement and explore the DIAMAS Toolsuite and Guidelines for practical steps to implement those improvements. It can also be helpful for journals seeking to get indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). DOAS requirements that align with DOAJ’s Guide for Applying are clearly marked, making it easy for journals to track their progress toward meeting DOAJ requirements.

 

Download DOAS Guide for Journals
Visibility, Collaboration, and Training: Regional Workshop for Editors & Publishers of Open Access Journals
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The webinar explores how the Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS) — a comprehensive quality framework for Diamond OA publishers — can be applied in real-world contexts through presentations from early adopters. Presentations Andrea Collivignarelli, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy Using the DOAS self-assessment tool to reflect on and improve editorial workflows Tatjana Timotijević, National library of Serbia and KoBSON, Serbia DOAS is integrated into initiatives to establish a national Diamond OA Capacity Centre in Serbia Juliana Costa Pitanguy, Diamond Open Access Expertise Centre, Netherlands Using DOAS at the Diamond Open Access Expertise Centre
DIAMAS Conversation Series: Applying DOAS – Insights from Early Adopters
Regional workshop for editors and publishers of open access journals in Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia was organized by the DIAMAS project on 22 April 2025. Presentations Jadranka Stojanovski, University of Zadar, Croatia Diamond Open Access Standard; Milica Ševkušić, EIFL The implementation of DOAS Iva Melinščak Zlodi, University of Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Croatia Guidelines and manuals in local languages were developed within the DIAMAS project, as well as journal sustainability resources. Presentation slides: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15284923
Regional Workshop for Editors and Publishers of Open Access Journals for the SE Europe Region.
Toolsuite and Guidelines for OA Publishing
DIAMAS Conversation Series for the Libraries
Regional online workshop for editors and publishers of OA journals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia. Recorded October 30, 2024, 2.00 PM Open Journal Systems (OJS), free open-source software that facilitates the management and publishing of scholarly journals, plays an important role in the development of infrastructure for Open Access scholarly publishing, as evidenced by the fact that more than 40,000 journals worldwide use OJS. The workshop was hosted for editors and publishers of OA journals, both those who already use OJS and those who are considering using it. During the workshop, several regional examples of OJS are presented.
Regional Workshop for Editors & Publishers of Open Access Journals (Croatian & Serbian)
Recording of the first event in the DIAMAS conversation series for Libraries. Event took place on May 30, 2024. Following an overview of the key findings from our 2023 survey on Diamond OA publishing, the meeting focuses on the pressing issue of financial sustainability for European small- and medium-size publishers and their service providers. Drawing on the results of extensive research, we shed light on key sustainability considerations and challenges faced by them.
WEBINAR: Conversation series for libraries: Advancing diamond OA in Europe
Recording of the second event in the DIAMAS Conversation Series for Libraries. Event took place on 24 September 2024 at 12:00 p.m. CEST. The meeting continues the DIAMAS Conversation Series for libraries and will focus on the standards and tools crafted to enhance the quality, efficiency and sustainability of Diamond OA publishing. We will introduce the Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS), a comprehensive quality framework for Diamond OA publishers, and demonstrate the DOAS self-assessment tool, which enables publishers to evaluate their compliance with this standard. Presentation links: https://zenodo.org/records/13876059 https://zenodo.org/records/13876059
WEBINAR: Conversation series for Libraries: Standards and Tools to Elevate Diamond OA Publishing
The Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS) sets essential and testable criteria to ensure equitable, transparent, and high-quality scholarly publishing. It advocates for a transparent publishing model governed by the academic community. This video gives an overview of a key component of DOAS: the Self-Assessment Tool for Diamond OA. It explains how the tool works from a practical standpoint and how it equips institutions with resources to assess compliance and enhance publishing practices, facilitating progress towards Diamond OA-level publishing standards. Visit the self-assessment tool: https://diamas.fecyt.es/ Learn more about DOAS: https://diamasproject.eu/introducing-doas-the-benchmark-for-diamond-open-access-quality/
DOAS: Self-Assessment Tool for Diamond OA
DIAMAS and CRAFT-OA hosted a joint event to explore the criteria for Diamond Open Access (OA) in this webinar held on May 16, 2024. In this 90-minute session, we explored what makes a journal Diamond OA, engaging with the community to define the essential requirements. The discussion featured an operational definition of Diamond OA, crafted collaboratively by DIAMAS and CRAFT-OA, highlighting its importance in enhancing the discovery and accessibility of Diamond OA journals. This webinar provided a platform for stakeholders to help shape these crucial criteria through community consultation. Slides available: https://zenodo.org/records/11262076
WEBINAR: Shaping Diamond OA - Criteria for Journals
Event held: 02/04/2024 Presentation slides: https://zenodo.org/records/10949008 In the rapidly evolving landscape of scholarly publishing, the financial sustainability of Diamond Open Access (OA) journals has become a critical concern for European small- and mid-size publishers and their service providers. This topic holds a central position in the priorities of the DIAMAS Project. The webinar, organised by SPARC Europe, provides an insightful overview of the multifaceted aspects of financial sustainability within institutional Diamond OA publishing. It draws on the results of extensive research amongst hundreds of institutional publishers and service providers through surveys, interviews and focus groups. Watch this event back to understand DIAMAS findings on financial sustainability.
WEBINAR: The Dynamics of Funding Diamond OA - Opportunities & Challenges
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