Guidelines for Institutions and Organisations

1. Introduction

DAPresses provides publishing infrastructure for higher education institutions, research centres, societies, professional associations, and other organisations that want to disseminate high-quality scholarship through open, international, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary journals.

2. Eligibility and Partnership Requirements

Eligible organisations

• Universities, polytechnics, colleges, institutes, and monotechnics
• Departments, faculties, agencies, and research centres
• Professional societies and scholarly associations
• Research networks, academic consortia, and specialised communities
• Trade unions, foundations, and allied organisations

Journal types supported

• Interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary journals
• Discipline-specific journals with wider relevance
• International and regional titles seeking greater visibility
• New journals and established titles transitioning to open access

3. Open Access Commitment

Partner organisations are expected to support an open-access ethos consistent with UNESCO open science principles.

• Barrier-free access to published content
• No unnecessary subscription or paywall restrictions where open access is adopted
• Broad dissemination and transparent licensing
• Clarity around reuse rights and publication terms

4. Editorial Governance Requirements

• An Editor-in-Chief and a clearly documented editorial structure
• A diverse editorial board with relevant subject representation
• Sectional editors where needed
• Editorial independence and conflict-of-interest safeguards
• Defined policies for aims and scope, ethics, authorship, transparency, and language quality

DAPresses can support organisations with templates and guidance where policies need strengthening.

5. Manuscript Handling and Peer Review

Hosted journals are expected to operate fair, timely, and independent review processes supported by qualified experts.

• Single-blind peer review is acceptable
• Interdisciplinary review may be required for cross-boundary submissions
• Editors should support clarity for readers beyond the author's primary discipline

6. Production, Quality Assurance, and AI Use

DAPresses provides the submission platform, copyediting, typesetting, DOI assignment, indexing support, long-term preservation, and publication formats.

• Manuscripts must be original, plagiarism-free, and ethically prepared
• Linguistic clarity and coherent presentation are expected
• Figures, tables, and supplementary files must meet technical standards
• AI tools may support clarity but must not generate research content

7. Visibility, Branding, and Roles

• Indexing and visibility depend on journal quality, consistency, and metadata accuracy
• Organisation branding can be integrated within DAPresses design guidelines
• Announcements, events, conferences, and related updates can be surfaced through the journal experience
• Organisations remain responsible for editorial appointments and engagement, while DAPresses provides publishing infrastructure and technical support

8. Financial Models and Launch Process

DAPresses can support multiple publishing and funding arrangements, including institutional sponsorship, organisation-funded open access, APC-supported publication, and revenue-sharing models where appropriate.

1. Submit an expression of interest
2. Provide journal scope, governance, and publication history details
3. Review and finalise the partnership agreement
4. Set up the journal site and editorial workflows
5. Migrate content where applicable and launch publishing operations

9. Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

Hosted journals are expected to review editorial performance, publication quality, workflow effectiveness, policy relevance, and discoverability strategies over time.