Published criteria, evidence and year-specific assessment
This policy explains journal eligibility, evaluation criteria, evidence considered and the principles used when an IJIF evaluation is recorded.
Principles and criteria for IJIF journal evaluation
This policy applies to journals submitted for IJIF evaluation and to journal records considered for a stated evaluation year. Submission does not guarantee approval, directory inclusion, certificate issuance or any particular IJIF Score.
Eligibility timing
Eligibility for the first IJIF evaluation year is determined by the journal’s documented commencement month. Journals commencing between January and June become eligible in the following calendar year; journals commencing between July and December become eligible in the subsequent calendar year.
An exact commencement month is required to determine the applicable first evaluation year.
Evaluation year
Each completed assessment is associated with a specific evaluation year. Where an IJIF Score is assigned, it is recorded for that year in accordance with the criteria and decision basis applicable to that evaluation.
Evaluation criteria
The criteria shown below are read from the active IJIF evaluation settings so the public policy reflects the areas currently used for assessment.
| Evaluation area | Maximum points | What is reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Journal Identity | 20 | Title, ISSN and basic journal identity. |
| Website & Accessibility | 20 | Working website, clear navigation and access. |
| Editorial & Publisher Details | 20 | Editor, publisher and contact transparency. |
| Publication Regularity & Archive | 20 | Frequency, current issue and archive continuity. |
| Policy, Metadata & Academic Quality | 20 | Ethics, peer review, metadata and overall quality. |
Evidence considered during evaluation
- Journal website and publicly accessible journal information
- ISSN and journal identity information
- Current and archived issues where available
- Editorial and publisher information
- Peer-review and publication-ethics information
- Publication frequency and continuity
- Article metadata and accessibility
- Other information relevant to the published evaluation criteria
How an evaluation moves from registration to public verification
The Evaluation Process page explains the main public stages of journal registration, initial screening, eligibility review, assessment, decision and public verification. The detailed rules governing those stages remain set out in this Evaluation Policy.
How evaluation decisions are approached
Evidence-based assessment
Evaluation is based on the information submitted for the journal together with information and evidence reasonably available for review.
Consistent criteria
Applicable evaluation criteria are used consistently for journals considered under the same evaluation framework.
Incomplete or unverifiable information
Where information required for evaluation cannot be established or reasonably verified, an assessment may remain incomplete or approval may be withheld.
Priority does not determine the outcome
Where a priority processing option is available, it affects processing priority only. It does not purchase approval, a certificate or a particular IJIF Score.
Assessment at a point in time
An evaluation reflects the journal information and evidence available for the stated evaluation year and at the time the assessment is completed. Subsequent changes do not retrospectively alter a completed record unless a correction or formal reconsideration is approved.
Corrections and policy revisions
IJIF may correct material record errors and may revise evaluation criteria prospectively. A later policy revision does not by itself change the basis on which an earlier completed evaluation was recorded.