Indexing and Impact Factor

The Journal of Sustainable Development and Policy (JSDP) is committed to the broadest possible dissemination and discoverability of its scholarly content. As an open-access, interdisciplinary publication, JSDP emphasizes accessibility, visibility, and credibility across global academic and policy communities. To achieve this, the journal actively engages in indexing partnerships, citation tracking, and long-term digital preservation strategies that enhance the impact and reach of published articles.

This section outlines JSDP’s current indexing status, application roadmap for major databases, digital identifiers, and strategies to improve scholarly impact through both traditional and alternative metrics.

 

  1. Current Indexing Coverage

JSDP is currently indexed in the following major scholarly databases and discovery platforms:

  • Google Scholar
    All published articles are indexed and retrievable through Google Scholar, facilitating citation tracking and visibility among academic researchers and institutions.
  • CrossRef (DOI registration)
    Every article receives a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) registered with CrossRef, ensuring persistent linking, citation tracking, and integration into global referencing systems.
  • PKP Index
    Indexed via the Public Knowledge Project, enabling visibility across university repositories and OJS-powered databases.
  • BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine)
    A leading academic search engine maintained by Bielefeld University Library, Germany, BASE aggregates content from institutional repositories and scholarly databases worldwide.
  • OpenAIRE
    Compliance with European open science mandates allows JSDP articles to be included in the OpenAIRE research infrastructure, increasing exposure among EU-funded researchers and projects.
  • WorldCat
    Indexed through library metadata aggregators, allowing JSDP to be discoverable in public and academic library systems internationally.
  • Internet Archive & LOCKSS
    Ensures permanent archiving and digital preservation of all journal content for scholarly longevity and protection against content loss.

 

  1. Indexing in Progress and Planned Applications

As part of its strategic development roadmap, JSDP is actively working toward inclusion in additional reputable abstracting and indexing services, including:

  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

DOAJ inclusion will further validate JSDP’s commitment to ethical publishing and open access excellence.

  • EBSCOhost
    Application under review to support library subscriptions, academic search capabilities, and university access portals.
  • ProQuest
    For expanded discoverability in multidisciplinary research environments and postgraduate research collections.
  • Scopus (Elsevier)

Under evaluation for inclusion. Scopus indexing will allow citation data to contribute toward institutional rankings, author h-indices, and journal metrics.

  • Web of Science (Clarivate - ESCI)


Plans are underway for submission to the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), an entry-level index within Clarivate’s Web of Science Core Collection.

Inclusion in these indexes requires rigorous evaluation of journal quality, publishing frequency, peer review transparency, ethical guidelines, and international diversity. JSDP continues to meet these benchmarks and aims for acceptance by 2026.

 

  1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Metadata Strategy

To improve discoverability across academic platforms and general web search engines, JSDP employs advanced search engine optimization (SEO) and metadata enrichment strategies, including:

  • Structured metadata tagging for authors, abstracts, keywords, and references
  • Integration with ORCID, CrossMark, and FundRef
  • Google Scholar compliant formatting
  • Alt-text for images and charts for accessibility
  • XML-based full-text archiving for repository inclusion

These strategies enhance content visibility in Google, Bing, Semantic Scholar, ResearchGate, Mendeley, and other academic aggregators.

 

  1. Citation Metrics and Altmetrics

While the journal is still early in its lifecycle and may not yet possess a traditional Journal Impact Factor (JIF) from Clarivate Analytics, JSDP actively tracks and reports alternative impact indicators and early citation metrics through:

  • Google Scholar Citations
    Individual article citations are monitored to assess academic engagement and author visibility.
  • CrossRef Event Data
    Tracks usage statistics, including citations, clicks, and altmetric mentions across social platforms.
  • Altmetric and PlumX (future integration)
    Planned adoption of altmetrics systems to track article-level engagement across:
    • Social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook)
    • Blogs and news media
    • Policy document citations
    • Post-publication peer review platforms (e.g., Publons)

These tools offer a broader understanding of impact, including influence on policy, practitioner uptake, and community relevance—especially important for applied sustainability research.

 

  1. Journal Ranking Aspirations

JSDP has adopted a long-term strategy to achieve ranking in global journal performance systems, including:

  • Scimago Journal Rank (SJR)
    Once indexed in Scopus, JSDP will appear on the SJR portal, measuring prestige based on citation quality.
  • Journal Citation Reports (JCR)
    Upon Web of Science inclusion, the journal will be eligible for an Impact Factor, which reflects average citation rates per published article over two years.
  • Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) and similar national indexing lists
    Applications will be made to subject-specific databases as part of the journal’s effort to support academic recognition for contributing authors.

 

  1. Digital Preservation and Archiving

To ensure long-term accessibility and scholarly record-keeping, JSDP partners with digital archiving initiatives, including:

  • LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)
  • CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS)
  • Internet Archive
  • Zenodo and institutional repositories

All content is assigned DOIs and archived in open-access repositories to guarantee permanent, tamper-proof access—even if the journal platform undergoes future changes.

 

  1. Support for Author Visibility

JSDP actively supports author visibility and citation growth through:

  • Indexed metadata syndication across research platforms
  • Listing in academic databases and faculty libraries
  • Inclusion in ORCID profiles, Google Scholar, and Scopus Author IDs (once indexed)
  • Structured abstract and title optimization for search engine discovery
  • Active sharing of newly published articles across academic mailing lists, social media, and newsletters

Authors are encouraged to self-archive published articles in their institutional repositories and academic profiles in compliance with our CC BY 4.0 license.

 

  1. Collaborative Indexing Partnerships

JSDP welcomes collaboration with:

  • University libraries and digital repositories
  • National and regional indexing bodies
  • Government agencies and policy observatories
  • NGO research units and development agencies

These partnerships enable the journal to reach policymakers, development practitioners, and community organizations actively engaged in sustainability discourse.