AJG 2027: Invitation to journal editors and publishers

We are inviting editors, publishers, and scholarly associations to apply for their journals to be considered for inclusion in the 2027 edition of the Academic Journal Guide (AJG). This application process is only for journals not already featured in the 2024 Guide and this form should not be submitted in relation to journals already listed in the AJG.

A new edition of the AJG is published every three years and work on the next iteration will begin in early 2026. In summer 2025 the contextual metrics for the AJG 2024, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) content indicator, will be updated with the most recent data from Sci-Val but journal grades and citation metrics ranks will be unchanged until the 2027 edition is published.

Editors, publishers, and scholarly associations will have until 5pm (GMT+1) on Friday 29 August 2025 to apply for journals to be considered for entry. All applications are evaluated on scholarly grounds and will be reviewed by the AJG co-editors and methodologists. Journals that charge authors to pay to have their work published will not be considered; this does not preclude optional "gold" open access fees.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Ramin Bokaian, Head of Research & Policy at the Chartered ABS ([email protected])

Please click here to submit your application

The methodology of the next AJG will again be founded on a peer review process informed by statistical information relating to citation. The final 'ratings' given to journals are not based purely on weighted averages of journal metrics. Instead, the Guide will continue to be the result of peer review and consultations between the Scientific Committee of subject experts and peers as to the relative standing of journals in each subject area. More details can be found within the methodology for the 2024 Guide. The Chartered ABS takes the issue of predatory journals extremely seriously and such journals will be excluded from the AJG.

The purpose of the AJG is to provide scholars with a guide to the range, subject matter, and relative quality of journals to help them decide which journals to consider when seeking to publish their work. It also helps published scholars in assessing the standing of the journals within which they have been published. The Guide is not intended to be used in isolation and we encourage the use of other resources in addition to the AJG when assessing the quality of journals. For the 2024 edition, new contextual metrics were added to enrich the information available to academics deciding where to publish their work. This includes metrics on the prevalence of article content relating to the UN SDGs, and the extent of papers based on collaboration with non-academic stakeholders.