Enhance the quality, visibility and compliance of the African Journal of Bioethics (AJB) with international open-access publishing standards

Posted on 2025-11-10 19:57:00

This revision aligns with the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) requirements and international best practices for open-access publishing. DOAJ mandates that the license type (CC BY 4.0) and publisher information be clearly displayed on every page of the article to ensure transparency, proper attribution and ease of content redistribution under open-access terms.

Additionally, the updated cover page template ensures:

  • Comprehensive metadata presentation — including ISSN, Volume, Issue, Year, DOI, Author Affiliations, ORCID IDs, Abstract, Keywords and Article History — which supports accurate indexing and discoverability.

  • Interoperability with CrossRef, DOAJ, and indexing databases, ensuring that AJB articles are machine-readable and globally searchable.

  • Editorial and production efficiency, as a uniform layout allows for consistent metadata extraction, DOI registration and repository upload.

  • Professional presentation and ethical compliance, reinforcing AJB’s commitment to open-access integrity, scholarly visibility, and publishing transparency.

Proposed Expected Implementation

I am proposing that beginning with upcoming issues, all manuscripts approved for publication will use this revised cover page and updated license footer.We can also retrospectively work on the previous publications to ensure they align with this requirement.   

Next Steps

  • Please review the attached cover page template and provide any feedback or suggestions for refinement by  November 14, 2025, so we can finalize this as the official AJB publication standard.

Thank you all for your continued dedication to editorial excellence and ethical publishing.