Journal of Human-Centred Education, Learning and AssessmentFounding-stage scholarly publicationScholarly development roadmap · Reviewed 16 October 2026
From responsible journal formation to international scholarly influence
A scholarly journal becomes credible through the cumulative quality of published research, independent editorial judgement, accountable governance and consistent service to a research community. JHELA is making that trajectory public, while distinguishing development commitments from verified achievements. Several stages may advance in parallel, and indexing outcomes remain subject to independent external evaluation.
Present status and claims — Current as of 16 October 2026: JHELA remains at founding stage; no formal manuscript intake, registered ISSN or DOI, first published issue or indexing has been independently certified. This roadmap is not a ranking guarantee.
What would count as genuine progress?
A manuscript counted without independent review, an unregistered DOI, publication without a preservation plan, or an index logo without an official listing would offer no credible evidence of maturity. Each milestone therefore distinguishes policy design, source implementation, production testing and decisions of independent scholarly organisations.
DOAJ ordinarily requires at least five research articles annually, with newly launched journals additionally needing more than one year of publication history or ten genuine open-access research articles before application. Scopus removed its general two-year waiting condition in August 2024, although adequate publication history remains necessary for evaluation.
Development sequence with documentary evidence gates
Ten milestones towards scholarly maturity
This is a planning framework rather than a promised calendar. Stages can overlap, while index admission remains subject to independent evaluation. Expand each milestone for its verifiable evidence gate.
Foundation and governance
Foundation & legal identity
Verify legal publisher, unique title, office contact, intellectual scope and ownership.
Required milestone and verification
Publisher identity and public governance verified
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
Foundation and governance
Secure OJS and manuscript protection
Verify OJS 3.5, TLS, isolated database, private files, SMTP, roles, recovery and end-to-end practice assessment.
Required milestone and verification
Two independent reviewers, decision, revision and restore tested
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
Foundation and governance
Independent editorial governance
Appoint consenting international scholars, ethical reviewers and an independent editor for conflicted submissions.
Required milestone and verification
Independent board, review and appeal protocols actually evidenced
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
Publishing, metadata and discovery
First genuine publications
Publish rigorously accepted, open full-text articles, establish reliable frequency and measure genuine output.
Required milestone and verification
Verified published articles, honest records and sustainable frequency
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
Publishing, metadata and discovery
ISSN, DOI and long-term preservation
Seek verified ISSN, lawful Crossref membership or sponsor, DOI metadata, stable article pages and preservation.
Required milestone and verification
ISSN record, registered DOI resolve, preservation proof
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
Publishing, metadata and discovery
DOAJ and open-access assurance
Meet all DOAJ requirements, including active publishing of five research articles annually and, for a new journal, over one year of history OR ten OA research articles.
Required milestone and verification
Independent DOAJ acceptance after eligibility review
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
Publishing, metadata and discovery
Global discovery and relevant scholarship
Grow genuine scholarly collaboration, reliable metadata, cross-border authorship and independently verifiable citations.
Required milestone and verification
Evidence of consistent scientific reach without fabricated metrics
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
External evaluation and influence
Scopus eligibility and selection
Meet Scopus technical and scholarly selection criteria; two-year blanket waiting rule was removed in August 2024, but sufficient output remains necessary.
Required milestone and verification
CSAB independent acceptance verified before indexing claim
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
External evaluation and influence
Web of Science quality and ESCI
Meet Clarivate's 24 quality criteria and seek independent evaluation for ESCI; selection is never automatic.
Required milestone and verification
Verified Clarivate decision and official listing
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
External evaluation and influence
Sustained impact, SSCI and Q1 aspiration
Build long-term research significance; SSCI needs impact evaluation beyond quality and Q1 depends on annual subject/category rankings. Neither can be guaranteed.
Required milestone and verification
Year- and category-specific independent SSCI/Q1 evidence
A dated production test, documentary record or official external decision is necessary before marking this milestone complete.
Planned milestone — not independently certified
Official standards and continuing review
Providers may revise their criteria. Before every application, the journal manager should compare the current official guidance with dated evidence rather than relying on a frozen score or promotional claim.