Mapping the Landscape of Diamond Open Access Journals with Journal Impact Factor

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.3138/jsp-2025-0067

Abstract

This study examines the distribution characteristics of diamond open access (OA) journals with Journal Impact Factors (JIF). Utilizing data from the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Journal Citation Reports (JCR), we conducted a comprehensive analysis of 13,584 diamond OA journals across country, publisher, and disciplinary dimensions. The analysis by country revealed significant disparities and variations in diamond OA publishing productivity and JIF presence across different countries. Additionally, commercial publishers exert greater influence over diamond OA journals, particularly among those indexed with JIFs. Social Sciences and Humanities account for the majority of diamond OA journals yet display the lowest JIF representation. In contrast, journals in the Engineering, Medical, and Natural Sciences disciplines demonstrate a high proportion of JIFs and are predominantly published by commercial publishers. These findings can highlight the need for further research on how the values of diamond OA can be protected and promoted in an increasingly commercialized publishing landscape. Addressing these challenges requires policies and research evaluation frameworks that enhance the visibility, sustainability, and scholarly impact of diamond OA journals across diverse disciplinary fields.

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Mapping the Landscape of Diamond Open Access Journals with Journal Impact Factor

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