The Asian Journal on Perspectives in Education (AJPE), a peer-reviewed publication managed by Far Eastern University (FEU), has expanded its global reach by securing inclusion in 16 international and national indexing databases. This expansion is part of a strategic effort to increase the visibility of education research originating from the Philippines and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
The recent milestone includes the addition of four reputable databases: the Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (DOAR), the Open Academic Journals Index, WorldCat and EuroPub. These join a pre-existing network of platforms including Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, and the Andrew Gonzales Philippine Citation Index, effectively broadening the journal’s discoverability for scholars and policymakers worldwide.
By integrating with these systems, the AJPE ensures that its research is more easily traceable and citable, moving beyond local academic circles to enter the global scholarly conversation. This shift aligns with the university’s broader institutional goals of fostering innovation and inclusivity through the democratization of knowledge.
Aligning with Global Scholarly Standards
For academic journals, indexing is not merely a technical requirement but a badge of credibility. Inclusion in recognized databases signifies that a publication meets specific standards of editorial quality, rigorous peer review, and ethical publishing practices. For the AJPE, this growth represents a transition toward becoming a more influential platform for educational discourse.
Dr. Rosarito T. Suatengco, editor-in-chief of AJPE and a research fellow at FEU, emphasized that the move is about more than just numbers. “Reaching sixteen indexing databases is not merely a numerical achievement; it represents AJPE’s deliberate and sustained effort to align with global standards of scholarly publishing,” Suatengco said. He further noted that this milestone supports the journal’s commitment to research that contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically the promotion of inclusive and equitable quality education.
The journal’s technical infrastructure has also been upgraded to support this growth. Through its integration with Crossref, the AJPE now assigns Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to its publications. This ensures that every article has a permanent, traceable link, preventing “link rot” and ensuring that citations remain accurate even if the journal’s web architecture changes.
The Impact of Open-Access Dissemination
As an open-access publication, the AJPE operates on a model where research is freely available to the public without subscription fees. This approach is designed to remove the financial barriers that often prevent educators, students, and researchers in developing regions from accessing high-impact academic work.
The ability for a researcher in a rural province or a student in a different continent to access peer-reviewed data without a paywall is central to the journal’s mission. This “democratization of knowledge” is supported by the utilize of the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, which manages the workflow from submission and peer review to final publication with transparency and efficiency.
| New Indexing Additions | Previously Established Platforms |
|---|---|
| WorldCat | Google Scholar, EBSCOhost |
| EuroPub | Semantic Scholar, Dimensions |
| DOAR | Crossref, J-Gate, Scilit |
| Open Academic Journals Index | Philippine National Library, BASE |
Capacity Building for Emerging Scholars
Beyond the technical achievement of indexing, Far Eastern University is investing in the human element of research. Recognizing that high indexing standards require high-quality submissions, the journal has launched several capacity-building initiatives to help scholars bridge the gap between raw data and a publication-ready manuscript.
These initiatives include the AJPE Writeshop Series, a sequence of targeted workshops designed to mentor emerging researchers. By providing guidance on methodology, academic writing, and the nuances of the peer-review process, the journal aims to increase the volume of high-quality, locally produced research that can compete on an international stage.
the journal hosts research webinars and mentorship programs. These efforts are intended to ensure that the “internationalization” of the journal is not just about where the papers are listed, but about the quality and rigor of the research being produced by the academic community it serves.
Strategic Implications for the Asia-Pacific Region
The expansion of the AJPE reflects a larger trend in the Asia-Pacific region, where institutions are increasingly seeking to move away from a reliance on Western-centric journals. By building a robust, indexed, and credible regional platform, FEU is contributing to a more diverse academic ecosystem where regional perspectives on education are given equal weight and visibility.
The inclusion in platforms like WorldCat and EBSCOhost is particularly significant because these are the primary tools used by librarians and university researchers globally. When a study on Philippine pedagogical methods appears in these databases, it becomes visible to a global audience, increasing the potential for cross-border collaborations and the sharing of best practices in education.
This trajectory positions the AJPE as a key contributor to the evolving landscape of global academic publishing, shifting the focus toward “responsible research dissemination”—where the goal is not just publication, but the actual application of research to improve educational outcomes.
As the Asian Journal on Perspectives in Education continues its growth, it remains open to contributions from scholars and educators worldwide who seek to engage with a platform recognized for its accessibility and impact. The journal continues to seek further inclusion in major global indexing systems to further amplify the voice of education research in the region.
We invite readers to share their thoughts on the role of open-access publishing in modern education in the comments below.
