Open Access Peer-Reviewed and Scholarly Journals

This page provides access to all journal-related resources available through the VTI Library, including peer-reviewed open access journals, publisher collections, and discovery tools that index scholarly journals.

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1) Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journals

These journals are reputable, openly accessible, and suitable for research papers across VTI programmes.

• IEEE Access [PR] – Engineering, Computer Science, ICT, Software Engineering.
• Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS) [PR] – Peer-reviewed software papers; excellent for capstones and software engineering.
• PLOS ONE [PR] – Multidisciplinary STEM research and methods.
• SAGE Open [PR] – Business, management, education, ICT and interdisciplinary research.
• PubMed Central (PMC) [PR][ARCH] – Peer-reviewed journal archive (biomedical/life sciences; research methods).

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2) Open Access Journal Directories & Indexes

These tools help you find peer-reviewed journals and journal articles. They do not usually “publish” journals themselves.

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) [PR][INDEX] – Trusted directory of vetted peer-reviewed OA journals.
• BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine) [INDEX] – Indexes repositories and OA publishers worldwide.
• CORE [INDEX] – Aggregates OA research papers from repositories and journals.
• Google Scholar [INDEX] – Broad scholarly search across articles, theses, books, and conference papers.
• OpenAlex [INDEX] – Open catalog of scholarly works with links to full text when available.
• ScienceOpen [INDEX] – OA discovery platform with search and topic collections.
• JURN [INDEX] – Indexes free OA journals and research materials.
• Open Science Directory [INDEX] – Directory of journals and OA sources (verify peer-review status).
• The Lens [INDEX] – Scholarly works + patents; useful for innovation and technology management.

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3) Publisher Open Access Journal Collections

These publishers host multiple OA journals. Peer review applies at the journal level, so verify the exact journal title (DOAJ can help).

• SpringerOpen [PUB] – OA journals across STEM and beyond.
• MDPI Open Access Journals [PUB] – Large OA portfolio; quality varies by title—verify and use instructor guidance.
• Elsevier Open Archive [PUB][ARCH] – Delayed open access archive for selected journal content.
• Taylor & Francis Open Access Journals [PUB] – OA journal options across disciplines.
• Wiley Open Access [PUB] – OA journals and OA content across subject areas.

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4) Institutional & Regional Journal Sources

These sources support Jamaica and Caribbean context. They include journal articles and research outputs relevant to programme work and applied projects.

• UWI Mona DSpace (Institutional Repository) [REPO][REG] – Research outputs from UWI Mona (Jamaica).
• UWISpace (UWI Institutional Repository) [REPO][REG] – Caribbean scholarship across UWI campuses.
• Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) [REPO][REG] – Regional collections and scholarship (includes research publications).
• Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) – Publications [REG] – Research and policy publications relevant to Jamaica.
• World Bank Open Knowledge Repository (OKR) [REPO] – Open research outputs and publications with regional relevance.

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5) Research Platforms (Include Journal Articles)

These platforms include journal articles along with other research outputs such as datasets, reports, conference papers, and software. Use filters to focus on journal articles where possible.

• ScienceOpen [INDEX] – Search and collections across open research content.
• CORE [INDEX] – Aggregated OA research papers (includes journal content).
• Open Research Library [REPO] – Open ebooks and research outputs; may include journal-linked content.
• OpenDOAR [INDEX] – Directory of OA repositories (journals and institutional content).
• Figshare [REPO] – Research outputs and datasets; some journal-linked materials.
• Zenodo [REPO] – Open repository for publications, datasets, software; DOI minting.

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6) Review / Caution-Flagged Journal Platforms

• OMICS Open Access Journals [⚠] – Flagged for quality concerns; use only with guidance and careful verification.
• Scientific Research Publishing (SCIRP) [⚠] – Flagged for quality concerns; use only with guidance and careful verification.

Student Checklist (Choosing the Right Journal)

• Start with DOAJ to confirm peer-review status.
• Prefer named journals over generic platforms when possible.
• Check the journal’s scope, editorial board, and indexing.
• Use filters (year, subject, full text) to narrow results.
• If unsure, use Ask the Librarian for help selecting sources.

Citation Reminder (APA – VTI Requirement)

Vector Technology Institute requires APA style. For journal articles include: author(s), year, article title, journal title, volume/issue, pages (if available), and DOI or stable URL.