About Global Academic Index

The mission, principles, evaluation framework and responsible visibility approach of Global Academic Index.

About Global Academic Index

Building academic visibility on clarity, structure and verifiable evidence.

Global Academic Index supports journals and scholarly publishers that want their editorial practices, policies and article information to be easier to understand. We combine independent readiness evaluation, structured directory records, metadata guidance and a defined verification route—without selling fabricated prestige.

Apply for EvaluationExplore Every ServiceCheck Journal Readiness

The reason GAI exists

Scholarly work can be serious while its public presentation remains weak.

Editors coordinate submissions, reviewers, revisions, publication schedules, conflicts, corrections and metadata. Yet a new visitor may see only a short About page, an outdated board list and several disconnected policy files. The quality of the underlying effort becomes difficult to assess because the evidence is scattered.

GAI focuses on this practical problem. We ask whether an independent researcher can identify the journal, understand who is responsible, locate the peer-review and ethics process, see all publishing terms and reach stable article records. Where eligible services apply, that information can then be presented through a structured GAI journal or article record.

01

Make the journal understandable

Clarify identity, ownership, scope, editorial responsibility, review practices, fees, licences and research-integrity safeguards.

02

Make records more consistent

Improve the relationship between article pages, DOI deposits, feeds, exports and the public journal description.

03

Make status verifiable

Give users a direct route to check a GAI record or reference and understand its precise scope.

Why Publishers Choose GAICompare Deliverables & Fees

Our mission

Our mission is to support responsible scholarly discoverability by improving the clarity, consistency and accessibility of journal information. We want editorial teams to treat policies and metadata as working infrastructure rather than formal pages created only for an application.

For journal editors

A practical framework for seeing the journal through an author’s or reviewer’s eyes. Missing information becomes a prioritized improvement task rather than an unexplained rejection.

Explore Journal Evaluation

For publishers

A repeatable structure for coordinating identity, policy and metadata evidence across one journal or a multi-title portfolio.

Explore Publisher Solutions

For researchers and authors

More accessible information about what the journal claims, who operates it and where its record can be checked.

Browse Journal Records

For institutions and libraries

Structured directory information with explicit boundaries, original-source links and a route for record questions.

Verify a GAI Record

The evaluation philosophy

Evidence must support the journal’s public claims.

Evaluation is not based on visual polish alone. A website may look modern but leave authors uncertain about fees, rights, peer review or complaints. A longer policy may appear comprehensive yet fail to assign responsibility. GAI therefore considers the relationship between multiple signals.

Identity and governance

Official title, publisher, ownership, country, domains, ISSNs, editorial roles, affiliations and decision authority.

Editorial process

Scope screening, reviewer selection, confidentiality, conflicts, revisions, decisions, special issues and appeals.

Ethics and accountability

Authorship, plagiarism, misconduct, data integrity, consent, corrections, retractions, complaints and conflicts.

Publishing terms

All author charges, waivers, copyright, licences, access model, publication schedule and archive conditions.

Metadata and access

Titles, authors, abstracts, identifiers, dates, source links and available Crossref, OAI-PMH, RSS, XML or CSV sources.

Record maintenance

How editorial, URL, identifier, policy and publication-status changes are reported and corrected.

Use the Complete ChecklistReview Metadata Quality

Four service routes for different stages

Basic Journal Evaluation

For new or improving journals that need readiness findings before seeking an annual directory service.

Published price: €49.

See What Is Reviewed

Standard Index Listing

For eligible journals needing a structured annual GAI journal record, Index ID and applicable verification reference.

Published price: €149/year.

Review Standard Scope

Professional Article-Level Indexing

For eligible journals with usable metadata sources and a need for up to 100 article metadata records in the annual scope.

Published price: €395/year.

Explore Article Metadata

Publisher Package

For organizations coordinating several journals, with a publisher profile and up to ten eligible journal listings.

Published price: €990/year.

Explore Portfolio Support

Start an ApplicationSee Secure Stripe Payment Options

What makes responsible visibility different?

Responsible visibility does not promise citations, rankings, accreditation or author submissions. It improves the conditions under which a journal can be found and assessed: accurate information, stable links, explicit policies, consistent identifiers and accessible metadata.

GAI describes only GAI status. Inclusion is not an impact factor, citation ranking, academic accreditation, government recognition, degree recognition or equivalence to Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed or DOAJ.

This limitation is central to the platform’s credibility. Applicants should name GAI precisely, link directly to their record and verify all third-party claims with the relevant third party.

Read the Ethics & Transparency PolicyRead Responsible Visibility

What happens when a journal applies?

  1. The journal prepares official identity, policy, archive and metadata links.
  2. The applicant selects the service appropriate to its actual stage.
  3. The application and matching Stripe payment use the same title and email.
  4. GAI reviews the submitted and publicly available evidence.
  5. Questions or readiness gaps may be communicated to the applicant.
  6. Eligible applicants receive the deliverables included in their selected scope.
  7. Publishers report material changes so records can remain accurate.

Prepare a Complete ApplicationApply NowRead FAQs

The next decision

Do not buy a badge. Build a journal record that can be understood and verified.

If the journal is still developing, begin with readiness evaluation. If its evidence and metadata are mature, compare the directory and article-level scopes. Contact GAI before payment whenever the correct route is unclear.

Start Your ApplicationCompare All ServicesAsk Before You Pay