AMS quality standards define the minimum bar every indexed journal must maintain throughout its time in the AMS database. These standards are not one-time admission hurdles — journals are re-evaluated annually, and failure to maintain any standard may result in a score reduction, quartile demotion, or removal from the index. Standards are aligned with international best practices from COPE, DOAJ, and the Committee on Publication Ethics.
01
Editorial Board
- Minimum of 8 editorial board members with verifiable institutional affiliations
- Editor-in-Chief must hold a doctoral degree in the journal's subject area
- Board must include members from at least two countries
- All board members must be publicly listed with name, title, and institution
- Board composition must be updated within 90 days of any membership change
- Ghost editorial boards (unverifiable members) result in immediate delisting
02
Peer Review
- Documented double-blind or single-blind peer review process is mandatory
- Each submission must be reviewed by a minimum of two independent experts
- Reviewers must be external to the submitting author's institution
- Average time to first decision must not exceed 90 days
- Reviewer guidelines and code of conduct must be publicly accessible
- Pay-to-publish without review is an automatic disqualification
03
Ethics Policy
- Published ethics policy covering authorship, plagiarism, and data integrity
- Retraction and correction policies must be clearly stated and followed
- Conflict-of-interest declarations required from authors and reviewers
- Compliance with COPE guidelines is expected and monitored
- Plagiarism detection must be employed before acceptance
- Journals with unresolved retraction controversies may be suspended
04
Publication Frequency
- Minimum one issue published per calendar year
- Stated publication schedule must match actual release dates within ±30 days
- Consistent volume and issue numbering with no unexplained gaps
- Publication delays must be publicly disclosed on the journal website
- Continuous online first publishing is encouraged and positively scored
- Journals inactive for more than 18 months will be placed under review
05
Content Standards
- Articles must contain structured abstracts, keywords, and reference lists
- Author affiliations and ORCID identifiers must be collected and displayed
- All articles must carry a DOI assigned via CrossRef
- References must follow a recognised citation style (APA, MLA, Vancouver, etc.)
- Non-research content (editorials, book reviews) must be clearly labelled
- Duplicate publications and salami slicing are grounds for delisting
06
Technical Requirements
- Valid ISSN (print and/or electronic) verified via the ISSN Portal
- Publicly accessible website with full-text articles in PDF or HTML
- Machine-readable metadata in XML or JSON (JATS XML preferred)
- Website must load over HTTPS with valid SSL certificate
- CrossRef metadata deposit for all published articles is required
- Journals with expired domains or broken article links will be flagged
Confident your journal meets these standards?
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