V.O.L. Journals are all published open access, which is a fantastic start to finding readership. Your articles are not behind a paywall, so anyone who finds them may read, use, and cite the scholarship you publish. To make sure that people are finding your articles, it helps to be included in 1 or more major indexes.
Just by publishing your journal on our open access platform, you make all of your content retrievable by Google Scholar! This significantly boosts your discoverability for those who use Google Scholar to find peer-reviewed scholarship.
The next most helpful place to be indexed is in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), an option open to all V.O.L. Journals. Being included in the DOAJ requires an application and review of your publishing practices. The DOAJ helps authors, editors, reviewers, and libraries know that your journal meets baseline standards for good publishing practices. Find more at both the COPE site and on this DOAJ page with guidelines. Applying to be indexed by the DOAJ is incredibly helpful to growing your impact once your journal is firmly established.
Getting Established
Before you start applying to be indexed, your journal should be publishing
Applying to DOAJ
To read DOAJ's requirements for being indexed, you can visit their "Guide to Applying" page. When you meet these criteria, the Scholars' Collaborative in the UT Libraries can assist you in completing the application.
Beyond the DOAJ, journal editors are welcome to seek out further indexing on their own. Some of the other logical and popular choices to investigate include Web of Science's Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), El Sevier's Scopus, or any indexes by Clarivate.