The document discusses the strategic considerations, challenges, and opportunities involved in establishing an interdisciplinary open-access research journal called IJOINED. It begins with a metaphor comparing a new research journal to a drop of water falling in a body of water and creating expanding ripples of knowledge dissemination. Some key points discussed include defining the journal's scope and editorial board, deciding on the peer review and open-access models, and addressing challenges like financial sustainability, attracting high-quality submissions, and gaining recognition. However, opportunities also exist to foster interdisciplinary research, promote open access, and build an academic community. While establishing such a journal presents challenges, it also provides opportunities for advancing knowledge.

1. Dr. Adrian Lawrence P. Carvajal, EdD, PhD
adrianlpc2010@gmail.com
International Development Division (Central Office),
Professional Regulations Commission, Philippines
Main Author, The Road to Reflective Leadership
Lead Researcher and Senior Project Manager, Chanthology Limited, United Kingdom
International Consultant for Leadership and Research, The Admission Experts
National Consultant for Publications, ETCOR Educational Research Center, Philippines
Dean, Graduate Studies, San Sebastian College Recoletos Manila
Strategic Considerations, Challenges and
Opportunities in Establishing an Interdisciplinary
Open-Access Research Journal: A Case Study on
the IJOINED Journal

2. Strategic Considerations, Challenges and
Opportunities in Establishing an Interdisciplinary
Open-Access Research Journal: A Case Study on
the IJOINED Journal

3. The Metaphor of a Research Journal as a Drop of Water
Imagine a drop of water falling into a calm and still body of
water. As it touches the surface, it creates a series of
expanding ripples that reverberate outward, reaching far
beyond the point of impact. This mesmerizing phenomenon
serves as a metaphor for the starting of a research journal
and the subsequent ripple effects it can generate.
Similar to the drop of water, a research journal holds
immense potential to initiate a chain reaction of knowledge
dissemination, collaboration, and impact in the academic
and scientific community.

6. In the evolving academic landscape,
interdisciplinary research
journals and open-access
publishing are two
transformative trends shaping
the dissemination of educational
discoveries.

7. Interdisciplinary research,
which combines methods and
insights from different disciplines, is
increasingly recognized as essential
for addressing complex societal
and scientific challenges (Smith and
Kelle, 2019).
Concurrently, open-access
publishing, which offers freely
accessible academic work online, is
seen as a powerful tool for
democratizing access to
educational discoveries and

8. The benefits of interdisciplinary
research are numerous. It allows for
the incorporation of different
perspectives, fostering innovative
solutions and comprehensive
understandings of intricate
problems (Fischer et al., 2018).
Open-access publishing, on the other
hand, promotes wider
dissemination of research,
enhances the visibility of
researchers, and stimulates

9. Strategic Considerations:
1.Scope and Focus: Defining the journal's thematic scope and disciplinary
intersection is critical. The scope should be broad enough to encourage
diverse contributions yet specific enough to create a unique identity for the
journal.
2.Editorial Board Composition: The editorial board should consist of
experts from the disciplines covered by the journal. Diversity in expertise,
geographic location, and gender can enhance the reputation and credibility
of the journal.
3.Review Process: Deciding on the review process is another strategic
consideration. Most journals opt for a double-blind peer review process to
ensure fairness and objectivity.
4.Open-Access Model: There are different models of open-access
publishing, and the journal needs to decide which to follow. Options include
full open access (where all articles are freely available) and hybrid models
(where some articles are open access and others are available only to

10. Challenges:
1.Financial Sustainability: One of the major challenges of open-access
journals is financial sustainability. Since these journals don't generate
revenue from subscriptions, they often depend on author fees, grants, or
institutional support.
2.Attracting High-Quality Submissions: As a new journal, attracting high-
quality submissions can be a challenge. It's important to build a good
reputation and network with researchers in the field to attract high-quality
papers.
3.Maintaining Rigorous Peer Review: Ensuring a rigorous and timely peer
review process can be challenging but is essential for maintaining the
quality of the journal.
4.Gaining Recognition: Gaining recognition and achieving a high impact
factor are significant challenges. This requires publishing high-quality,
impactful research and promoting the journal effectively.

11. Opportunities:
1.Fostering Interdisciplinary Research: Launching an
interdisciplinary journal provides an opportunity to foster research
that bridges different fields, potentially leading to innovative solutions
to complex problems.
2.Promoting Open Access: By providing free access to research,
open-access journals promote the democratization of knowledge,
increase the visibility of researchers, and stimulate academic
discourse.
3.Building a Community: Launching a new journal can help build a
community of researchers, practitioners, and readers interested in
the intersection of disciplines covered by the journal.

12. Conclusions
Indeed, setting forth on this journey is not devoid of its trials. Achieving
financial viability, enticing quality contributions, upholding a strict peer
review process, and earning widespread recognition, all represent
significant hurdles.
The establishment of The Journal presents opportunities for fostering
interdisciplinary research, promoting open access, and building a
community of researchers, practitioners, and readers.
Therefore, while the journey to establish an interdisciplinary open-
access journal is filled with challenges, it is also filled with opportunities
for academic advancement and the promotion of a more integrated
and accessible body of knowledge.

13. “Keep moving ahead because
action creates momentum,
which in turn creates
unanticipated opportunities.”
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