Open Access (OA) publishing has become a feature of Asia’s scholarly landscape. The recent DOAJ Open Access in Asia webinar, organised by Senior Ambassador Vrushali Dandawate, highlighted the increase in journal applications, the rise of Diamond OA, and the vital role of community engagement across Asia.
OA publishing is now a prominent feature of the academic publishing ecosystem across Asia. An increasing number of scholars, librarians, and institutions are collaborating to ensure that research and knowledge is accessible to everybody. The DOAJ Open Access in Asia webinar (November 7, 2025) was organised by Senior Ambassador for Asia, Vrushali Dandawate, and included DOAJ ambassadors from Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and China who discussed developments in their respective regions.
The webinar commenced with a welcome from DOAJ Managing Director Joanna Ball who outlined the significance of OA publishing in Asia and discussed the huge growth in applications from the region. DOAJ has received over 15,000 journal applications since January 2022 and added 2,500 journals to the index. Currently, 3000 (55%) of 5500 journals from Asia are Diamond OA and have no article processing charges (APCs). Joanna thanked the 35 volunteer editors who support the work to review each application from Asian countries.
Indonesia: A pioneer in Diamond OA
DOAJ Managing Editor and Ambassador for Indonesia, Ikhwan Arief, profiled a number of Southeast Asian countries and the scale of Diamond OA in these countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam). Ikhwan added that Indonesia is a regional leader in Diamond OA with the largest number of indexed journals. He added that while most journals are community driven and supported, they encounter obstacles such as sustainability and long-term viability concerns, index disparity and national assessments which favour metrics-based indexers. Ikhwan recommended increased financial and policy support, as well as encouraging initiatives to increase the visibility of OA publications.
Pakistan: Rapid advancement via training and community engagement
DOAJ Ambassadors for Pakistan Dr. Muhammad Imtiaz Subhani and Amber Osman discussed the growth of OA in Pakistan and the high number of Diamond journals (currently over half of the indexed journals) Pakistan has swiftly augmented its DOAJ-indexed journals via workshops and help from the HEC (Higher Education Commission Pakistan). Nonetheless, challenges such as insufficient awareness among researchers, financial and technical constraints (including uneven digital infrastructure), lack of institutional OA policies and irregular quality assurance remain prevalent. The DOAJ Ambassador program and associated activities in Pakistan, as well as national efforts (like improving infrastructure and interest in identifiers) has gone some way to improve the OA landscape.
India: Prominent platforms, significant potential
DOAJ Senior Ambassador for Asia, Dr. Vrushali Dandawate, noted that while there is no single national OA policy, different organisations and government bodies have initiatives, policies and mandates regarding OA research outputs. India also has robust OA platforms such as Shodhganga (thesis and dissertations), NDLI (National Digital Library of India), and OAR@INFLIBNET which is an open access repository initiative of the Information and Library Network. Many of India’s national research and science organisations mandate OA publishing, such as the Department of Science and Technology. Currently 393 Indian journals are indexed in the DOAJ, enhancing their global visibility. Still, India faces some hurdles, such as dealing with issues of quality and predatory journals, and a requirement to improve metadata standards and repository interoperability gaps. Collaboration and efforts from DOAJ continue to improve the OA landscape and Vrushali discussed the value of further regional collaboration, librarian-led OA activity and capacity building and advocacy.
China: Robust policies constructing a resilient OA future
DOAJ Ambassador for China Shuai Yan and DOAJ Deputy Head of Editorial (Quality) and Ambassador for China, Cenyu Shen, discussed the local and regional university research initiatives around OA publishing. China possesses robust governmental regulations that advocate for open science and the advancement of journals, including a new law (2021) to strengthen and promote open science. National OA initiatives include the Open Science Promotion Consortium (OSPC) and an international OA journal list supported by China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Co., Ltd. (CNPIEC)
Prevalent challenges encompass ambiguous licensing and conflicting website information; however, national working groups are addressing these concerns. Since 2018, the number of Chinese journals indexed has increased. China currently has 481 journals in the DOAJ, of which a quarter are Diamond. A multitude of journals exist within the STEM domains; nevertheless, several require enhancements in OA policy, licensing and copyright transparency. DOAJ assists China with training workshops, webinars, a pre-evaluation committee to assist with evaluations, and extensive journal community engagement via the WeChat account
Summary
Based on the descriptions shared by the DOAJ Asia Ambassadors about OA publishing in their countries, there was some commonality in the local experiences and national challenges. Ambassadors highlighted the following insights:
- Open Access publishing is increasing in Asia.
- Diamond OA is particularly robust in Asia. 3000 of the 5500 journals indexed from Asia are Diamond (55%). Currently, 63% of DOAJ journals are Diamond.
- DOAJ continues to play an important role in improving journal quality through local engagement via Ambassador and volunteer activities (workshops, webinars and local acitivites).
- Asian countries need continued training, funding, and, specifically, unified and national OA policies.
- Collaboration across borders is key for long-term success to promote and adopt OA.
The webinar slides are available on Zenodo and a recording is available on YouTube.
*Ambassador programme and outreach
Please note that outreach activities by DOAJ Ambassadors are tailored to each region, and our resources are limited. Activities and opportunities for training and workshops mentioned in this blog might not be available to you or your region.
You can read more about our Ambassador programme and the regions we cover here.
