Alif Index Evaluation: Four Stages

Provide a standard abbreviation (short title), ideally based on the initials or an internationally recognisable form of the full journal title.

Provide the print ISSN and/or online ISSN, where applicable. New journals may apply at Stage One without an ISSN for Alif Pre-Indexing, but an ISSN will be required for Alif Index L1 validation before indexing.

Specify the format: Online, Print, or Hybrid. ALIF accepts Online and Hybrid journals. Print-only journals are not eligible.

Specify the access model clearly: Open Access, Subscription/Paid, or Hybrid. This information must be visible on the journal website.

Clearly state the journal’s scope and publication frequency. The peer-review model (single-blind, double-blind, open, or other) must be explicitly documented.

Clearly state whether any fees apply (including APCs or other charges). If applicable, include the amount, the payment method, and the refund policy. Hidden charges are not permitted.

The journal must clearly disclose its governance and ownership structure. Provide details on who legally owns and operates the journal (e.g., university, scholarly society, independent publisher, or commercial entity), and identify the body responsible for appointing the Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members. A written statement of editorial independence should be available, confirming that editorial decisions are made without interference from the publisher or sponsoring organization. In addition, provide the publisher’s full legal name, physical address, official domain-based email address, phone number, and website (if applicable). The publisher’s identity must be clearly displayed and verifiable on the journal website. Generic email addresses (e.g., @gmail, @yahoo) are discouraged for official communication. Any funding sources or sponsorship arrangements supporting the journal (including institutional support, APC-based models, or external grants) must also be transparently disclosed.

Provide full names, affiliations, and official emails (or a verified profile link). For new journals, the minimum requirement is an Editor-in-Chief and at least one additional editor aligned with the journal’s scope.

Clearly state the licensing model (e.g., CC BY, CC BY-NC) and the copyright policy (whether copyright is held by the author or the publisher).

Mandatory — site must use HTTPS

The website must be user-friendly, mobile responsive, and easy to navigate. Content should be clearly written, well formatted, and readable.

How is content archived for long-term preservation? Backup plan for long-term preservation.

The website should be consistently accessible. All pages and links must work correctly, with no broken links or incorrect redirects.

OJS / WordPress / Custom — clearly identified

Each published article and issue must be hosted on a unique, permanent, and resolvable landing page within the journal website. This page must include essential metadata (e.g., article title, author names and affiliations, abstract, keywords, publication dates), a structured reference list, and access to the full-text PDF to ensure transparency, traceability, and long-term scholarly accessibility.

Each article must include the author’s full name, affiliation, country, and a valid email or X-PEN iD or ORCID.

Article PDFs must be professionally formatted and easy to read. For new journals, submit a sample PDF using ALIF’s recommended structure to demonstrate basic publishing readiness.

The editorial board must consist of at least five (5) members, including an Editor-in-Chief. All editorial members must be clearly listed on the journal website with their full names, institutional affiliations, academic roles, and (preferably) official or institutional email addresses.

The board must also demonstrate a reasonable level of geographic diversity, with members representing different institutions and, where possible, multiple countries or academic regions. Editorial appointments should reflect subject expertise relevant to the journal’s declared scope and disciplinary focus.

To ensure institutional and geographic diversity, at least twenty-five percent (30%) of the authors published in the journal must be affiliated with institutions outside the journal’s country of publication.

In addition, not more than twenty percent (20%) of the total published articles within an issue or evaluation period should be authored or co-authored by members of the editorial board. This measure is intended to reduce editorial authorship bias and promote external scholarly participation.

The journal must publicly display and adhere to recognised academic publishing standards through clearly documented policies, including:

• A defined Peer Review Policy

• Description of the Peer Review Process and review timelines (step-by-step workflow)

• Plagiarism Detection Policy

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

• Conflict of Interest Policy

• Corrections and Retractions Policy

• Editorial Independence and Integrity Policy

• Authorship Limits and Contribution Policy

• Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy

• Data Availability Policy

• Language & Copyediting Policy

• Privacy Statement outlining how personal data of authors, reviewers, and readers is collected and protected

• Multiple/Concurrent Submission Policy prohibiting simultaneous submission to multiple journals

• Preprint Policy explaining whether preprints are permitted and how they should be cited

In addition, the journal must provide:

• Reviewer Selection Criteria and Responsibilities

• Appeals and Complaints Policy for editorial decision disputes

• Post-Publication Discussion Policy (e.g., Letters to the Editor or critiques)

• Permissions Policy for reuse, translation, or republication of journal content

• Archiving Policy describing long-term digital preservation arrangements (e.g., CLOCKSS, Portico, institutional repositories)

The journal must provide comprehensive Author Guidelines that clearly describe:

• Accepted manuscript types (e.g., original research, review articles, case studies, short communications, etc.)

• Formatting requirements, including article structure, word limits, citation and referencing style

• Section-specific submission requirements where applicable

• Submission workflow, including how manuscripts are submitted and what authors can expect during the review process

These guidelines must be publicly accessible on the journal website and written in a clear and professional manner.

Published articles must align with the journal’s declared aims and scope. During L1 evaluation, ALIF will conduct a general content-level assessment of selected articles to examine their relevance to the stated scope, methodological coherence, and overall scholarly quality.

This review is not a detailed or in-depth peer review of individual articles at this stage, but rather a broad consistency check to ensure thematic alignment and academic relevance across published content.

• J-Citation (Total Citations): > 100
• X-Impact (Lagged Impact Score): Threshold defined by ALIF per discipline
• ALIF Core Score (Rolling Performance): Threshold defined by ALIF per discipline
• ALIF Index (h-type): > 7
• ALIF Index² (10+ cited outputs): > 5
• ے-Index (100+ cited outputs): 0 (informational at L2; performance-weighted at L3)

• Random Sample: 2–5 articles randomly selected from previous years
• Methodological Rigor: Research design, data handling/analysis, and conclusions reviewed at a general level
• Originality: Plagiarism screening (iThenticate/Turnitin or equivalent); target < 15–20%
• Referencing Quality: References relevant, reasonably current, and correctly structured
• Language Quality: Professional language standard; copyediting evidence where applicable
• Peer Review Evidence: 1–3 original articles from the previous 2 years selected; reviewer reports requested for manual evaluation of feedback quality

• Author Diversity: At least 40% authors from outside the journal’s country
• Institutional Spread: Multiple institutions represented (avoid single-institution dominance)
• Editorial Board Diversity: At least 50% editors from outside the publisher’s country
• Editorial Expertise: Editors demonstrate publication record in relevant field(s)

• Self-citation Monitoring: Journal-level self-citation tracked; thresholds defined by ALIF per discipline
• Citation Manipulation Safeguards: Detection of abnormal cross-journal citation patterns
• Coercive Citation Prohibition: Explicit policy and complaint channel
• Annual Transparency Stats: Approx. submissions, acceptance rate bands, median review time, and publication counts