Call for New Journals

Diamond Open Access Partnerships with VoyGull Publishing (UK)

VoyGull Publishing Centre Ltd (UK) invites proposals from research groups, learned societies, and academic institutions to launch new scholarly journals or transition existing titles to a sustainable Diamond Open Access model.

The Diamond Open Access Commitment

All journals we operate are Diamond Open Access, meaning no fees for readers and no fees for authors (no APCs). Journals are sustained through an annual partnership fee paid by the founding institution(s) or sponsor(s) to cover platform, production, and administrative costs (this fee is not charged to authors).

Roles and Responsibilities

  • VoyGull Publishing manages the technical infrastructure, production workflow, and bibliographic standards.

  • Editors and Editorial Boards retain full independence regarding editorial scope, peer review, and acceptance decisions.

  • Partner Institutions/Societies are expected to support journal viability, including demonstrating a credible submission pipeline during the first 12–24 months.

What VoyGull Provides

  • Platform: Fully managed hosting and technical administration on Open Journal Systems (OJS).

  • Identifiers: DOI registration and metadata management via Crossref.

  • Bibliographic standards: Assistance with ISSN application (and eISSN where applicable) following publication of the first issue.

  • Production: Professional typesetting, publication-ready outputs (PDF/HTML), and journal cover design. Partners may provide their own design, but it must meet agreed technical and branding standards.

  • Indexing roadmap: Strategic guidance on metadata quality and application readiness for services such as Google Scholar and DOAJ, alongside longer-term pathways (e.g., Scopus and Web of Science). Indexing decisions are made by third parties and cannot be guaranteed.

Ethics, Transparency, and Non-Profit Integrity

VoyGull journals operate on a strict non-profit integrity principle. No individual may derive private financial benefit from editorial decisions or from holding an editorial role. Prohibited practices include (but are not limited to):

  • Payments for guaranteed publication or any form of pay-to-publish decision-making.

  • Fees for editorial board membership or appointment to editorial roles.

  • Kickbacks or commissions tied to submissions, acceptances, or special issues.

  • Undisclosed financial conflicts of interest that could reasonably be seen to influence editorial decisions.

Compliance and Governance

Editorial independence in scholarly decision-making is respected. However, journals must comply with stated ethics and governance requirements. Where credible concerns arise regarding ethical misconduct or systematic non-compliance with published policies, VoyGull may initiate a formal review as defined in the publishing agreement. Outcomes may include corrective actions or termination of the partnership in cases of material breach.

Annual Partnership Fee

Eligibility for the “low or lower-middle income economies” rate follows the World Bank income classification (low-income and lower-middle-income economies). UN-designated Least Developed Countries qualify for this rate.

  • Independent/unfunded scholar-led journals: USD 800/year (this remains free until beginning of 2027)

  • Institutions in low or lower-middle income economies: USD 1,000/year

  • Standard institutional rate (high-income economies): USD 2,000/year

What to Include in Your Proposal

  • Journal title and scope: Field, aims, and the specific gap the journal addresses.

  • Language(s) of publication: English is the primary language for most journals. We also support journals in selected other languages or multilingual journals. For non-Roman scripts, journal metadata (title, abstracts, keywords) must include a Romanised version for indexing and discovery.

  • Editorial team: Name, email, job title and affiliation of the Editor-in-Chief and key board members.

  • Launch plan and pipeline viability: A plan for how the journal will secure submissions and reviewers in its first 12–24 months (networks, conferences, themed calls, special issues, inaugural workshops, etc.).

  • Institutional backing: Details of the department, society, or research group supporting the journal.

Contact

Guido Appoldt

Managing Director, VoyGull Publishing Centre Ltd

71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, UK

Email: appoldt@voygull.com