PRESS RELEASE
4 February 2021, COPENHAGEN – DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) is pleased to announce its inclusion in the recognised list of journals, lists and indexes accepted by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training. The move represents the first time that an open access listing has been recommended to South African University academics, encouraging researchers to publish in open access and make use of the free quality content available on DOAJ.
In a letter addressed to DOAJ from Mr G.F. Quonde, Director General for Higher Education and Training in South Africa, the directory was praised for its ‘sterling work to maintain integrity in academic publishing’.
Articles published in DOAJ journals by South African scholars, will receive publishing points. Only articles published in approved scholarly journals can be subsidised by the Department of Higher Education and Training.
“DOAJ is delighted to receive this recognition from the South African Government and looks forward to a close and productive relationship. We are committed to working with countries around the world to ensure inclusion in other government recognised academic listings,” said Lars Bjørnshauge, Managing Director of DOAJ “Open access is the future of scholarly publishing. The South African government’s recognition of the need for free and quality research to be widely available is an important milestone in our collective efforts to improve access to scholarly knowledge for all.”
This exciting development has been possible thanks to a collaboration between DOAJ, the Academy of Science South Africa ( ASSAF) and the South African Department of Higher Education and Training after an in-person meeting in 2019 between DOAJ’s Editor in chief Tom Olyhoek and Chief Mabizola, Director of Universities Education Policy of the Ministry of Higher Education.
DOAJ joins six other accredited journal listings which are recognized by the South African DHET list including Web of Science, Scopus and Scielo South Africa. Of these listings, DOAJ is the only global index containing uniquely open access journals. The directory has become the ‘de facto’ list for researchers to find quality open access journals and share their work with others around the world.
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Further Information: https://doaj.org
DOAJ media contact: Louise Stoddard, louise@doaj.org
