JUFO portal user guide

The JUFO portal is a service intended for researchers and other people working in science, where you can search for information on scientific journals/series, conferences and book publishers. The portal also includes professional and general journals used by researchers working in Finland. Visit the portal at https://jfp.csc.fi/jufoportal.

Through the portal, it is also possible to propose new publication channels for evaluation and suggest a change to the level rating or bibliographic information of already classified publication channels. It is possible to browse the content without logging in, but making suggestions for additions and amendments requires logging in. Login button can be found in the menu at the top right of the portal, through which you can also register as a portal user.

The Publication Forum (JUFO) is a classification system that supports the quality assessment of research output. The classification covers scientific journals, book series, conferences and book publishers. You can read more about the classification on our website.

Contents of the user guide:

1. Loggin in to the JUFO portal
2. Making searches in the portal
3. Publication channel information
4. Making suggestions in the portal

1. Loggin in to the JUFO portal

Logging into the JUFO portal takes place via Eduuni. Logging in for the first time requires the registration of an Eduuni ID, unless the user already has one. The new JUFO portal, opened in the summer of 2024, uses the same ID as in the old version of the portal.

1. Click the "Sign in" button at the top right corner of the portal. You will be redirected to the Eduuni login page. If you are a new Eduuni user, register an Eduuni ID by clicking "Rekisteröidy tästä". Please find more instructions on the registration from the Eduuni website. If you already are an Eduuni user, please select your organisation from the list. The list includes only organisations using Haka credentials so if you work in a organisation that does not use Haka, please choose another login method, e.g. ORCID.
2. Please follow the instructions of your chosen login method. For Haka organisations, logging in is done with the Haka credentials.

2. Making searches in the portal

2.1. Free text search

You can search for a publication channel by name and its different versions, as well as by the publication channel's unique identifier JufoID. You can also search for series by ISSN code, book publishers by ISBN code and conferences by abbreviation

Free text search supports phrase search and the use of an asterisk.

In the phrase search, the desired search words are written in the desired order inside quotation marks. In the search results, only those hits are displayed where the words in question appear exactly in the same form and order as they are written inside the quotation marks.

If only some part of the word want to be used to make a search, this can be done with an asterisk: * In this case, the search results show all the different forms of the word, where the initial part before the asterisk remains the same, but the rest of the word after the asterisk varies.

2.2. Narrowing the search

It is possible to refine your search based on, for example, Publication Forum level category, open access, target audience, discipline or Publication Forum evaluation panel.

Publication Forum level categories

The level categories of the JUFO classification are:

• 3 = top
• 2 = leading
• 1 = basic
• 0 = Publication channels that do not meet the level 1 criteria.
• Not evaluated = Professional and general series and scientific channels that have not yet been evaluated.

Publication channels that are found through the search, but do not have level rating, are either currently being evaluated for the first time or are unclassified non-peer-reviewed professional and general publication channels. It is possible to check the more detailed information of the publication channel by clicking its name.

Open access

With open access filters, it is possible to narrow down the search according to the open access status of the channels.

• Immediately open channels: Publication channels that allow immediate open access. Open access publishing can be free of charge, or a so-called APC fee can be charged. The sources of information are the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Bielefeld University Gold OA list, the secretariat's own manual checks and publishers' journal lists.
• Channels allowing immediate self-archiving: Publication channel allows self-archiving of published or accepted version without embargo. Information source is the Sherpa Romeo database.
• Publication channels covered by FinELib agreements: Publication channel is covered by FinELib agreement for open access publishing. In the channels covered by the agreement, open access publishing is possible without APC fees or with a reduced APC fee. The details should be checked from the FinELib website.
• All open publication channels: Narrows down the search for publication channels that are either open access, allow immediate self-archiving or are covered by the FinELib agreement.

Target audience

It is also possible to narrow down the search by the target audience.

• Scientific channels: All scientific publication channels (journals/series, conferences and book publishers) stored in the database.
• Professional journals: All professional journals stored in the database.
• General journals: All general journals stored in the database.

Field of research

It is possible to choose whether AND or OR operator is used: With the AND operator, the search result is limited to publication channels where all the selected disciplines are marked. With the OR operator, the search result includes all publication channels for which at least one of the selected disciplines is marked for. OR operator is used by default.

The search can be refined according to the MinEdu, ERIH Plus, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus or Norwegian NPI classification. Some publication channels have several disciplines from different classifications marked for them.

MinEdu category refers to Statistics Finland's Field of Science 2010 classification used in MinEdu data collection (based on OECD's FOS classification). The Publication Forum secretariat assigns the MinEdu category to serial publications and conferences when they are added to the database as new publication channels. WoS, Scopus, ERIH Plus and NPI classifications can be found for those journals that are indexed in those databases.

Publication Forum evaluation panel

Narrows down the search based on the Publication Forum evaluation panel which is responsible for evaluating the publication channel.

The responsibility for evaluating an individual journal/series or conference has been assigned to one of the discipline-specific panels (panels 1-23). Panel 24 is common to all panels, and members of all panels can participate in the evaluation of the publication channels belonging to it. Panel 24 includes all book publishers and a small group of the most multidisciplinary journals, such as Nature and Science.

Other filters

Inactive channels: Also inactive (ceased) publication channels will be included to the search.

Forthcoming level changes: List of those publication channels where evaluation panels have proposed a change for level rating.

More filters

In the More filters section, you can refine your search based on the type of publication channel, publication language, country of publication, indexing information, or publisher.

Regarding indexing, information is available in the following databases:

• Scopus: Scopus is Elsevier's abstract and citation database.
• Sherpa Romeo: Sherpa Romeo is an online service where it is possible to review the open access policy of registered journals and publishers. The service is maintained by the non-profit organisation Jisc (Joint Information Systems Committee).
• WoS: Web of Science is a service owned by Clarivate Analytics that contains abstract and citation information.
• Bielefeld: Bielefeld University Gold OA list is a list of immediately open access publication channels (Gold OA) produced by the German Bielefeld University.
• DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals is a directory developed in international cooperation that indexes peer-reviewed open access journals. The service is maintained by the non-profit organisation Infrastructure Services for Open Access C.I.C.
• ERIH Plus: ERIH Plus  is a database focused on social sciences and humanities.
• Journal.fi: Journal.fi is an editorial and publishing service for scientific journals which is maintained by the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies.

2.3. Exporting results as a CSV file

You can export your search results as a CSV file. Before exporting, it is possible to choose which information of the publication channels you want to include in the file.

By default, the file contains the following information about publication channels:

• JufoID
• Name
• Abbreviation
• Level
• ISSNL code
• ISSN1 code (printed)
• ISSN2 code (online)
• ISBN roots

It is possible to choose from the following information whether to include it or not.

Extra metadata:

• Other title
• Title details
• JufoID of the preceding channel (Continues)
• JufoID of the subsequent channel (Continued_by)
• Website
• Country of publication
• Country code
• Publisher
• Publication language
• 3-letter language code
• 2-letter language code
• Start year
• End year
• Scientific channel (isScientific)
• Professional channel (isProfessional)
• General channel (isGeneral)
• Publication channel type in Finnish (Type_fi), Swedish (Type_sv) and English (Type_en)
• Evaluation history.

Disciplines: Research field classification according to Scopus, Web of Science, Norwegian NPI classification, ERIH Plus and MinEdu classification (in Finnish, Swedish and English).

Open access information: The publication channel is open access (isOA), allows immediate self-archiving (isSA) or is covered by the FinELib agreement (isFinELib).

Indexing: Appearance of the publication channel in different databases.

Indicators: Norwegian level rating and Publication volume.

3. Publication channel information

3.1. Basic information

The detailed information of the publication channel can be displayed by clicking on the name of the channel. The basic information includes bibliographic information of the publication channel:

• JufoID
• level rating
• type of publication channel
• identifiers (ISSN or ISBN)
• publisher
• country and language of publication
• year of start
• end year (only ceased publication channels)
• continued by (only ceased publication channels whose successor is indexed in the Publication Forum)
• continues (only if the predecessor of the channel is indexed in the Publication Forum)

3.2. Open access

In the Open access section you can find information about the open access publication possibilities of the channel. The information is regularly retrieved from the source databases, but we recommend checking the information directly from each service or the journal websites.

• Open Access: The sources of information are the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Bielefeld University Gold OA list, the secretariat's own manual checks and publishers' journal lists.
• Self-archiving (immediate): Information source is the Sherpa Romeo database. It tells whether the journal allows immediate self-archiving of the published or accepted version of the manuscript.
• Licence: Data sources are Sherpa Romeo, DOAJ, the secretariat's own manual checks and publishers' journal lists.
• FinELib: The data source is FinELib. The information has been checked from the publisher-specific journal lists on FinELib's "Use OA benefits" page. FinELib agreement can also cover journals that are not classified in the Publication Forum, so they are also not visible in the JUFO portal.
• APC fee: Tells whether the journal charges a separate fee for open publishing. The data sources are DOAJ and Sherpa Romeo.

3.3. Links

• Publication channel website: The link is displayed if the information is stored in connection with the publication channel.
• Sherpa Romeo: The link takes the user to the publication channel information in the Sherpa Romeo database.
• Plan S Journal checker tool: The link takes the user to the Plan S websites where it is possible to check whether the open access conditions of a specific research funder are met for the publication channel.
• Research.fi: The link takes the user to the information of the publications connected to the publication channel in the research.fi portal.

3.4. Scientific fields

The discipline according to the MinEdu classification, assigned to the channel by the secretariat. WoS, Scopus, ERIH Plus and Norwegian NPI classifications can be found for the journals that are indexed in these databases.

3.5. Evaluation

Information about which panel is responsible for evaluating the publication channel, whether the channel is currently being evaluated, and the evaluation history of the channel.

3.6. Indexing

Bielefeld University Gold OA list

A list of immediately open access publication channels (Gold OA) produced by the German Bielefeld University.

What does indexing mean? The indexing tells you which publication channels are included in the Bielefeld service.

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

A directory developed in international cooperation that indexes peer-reviewed open access journals. The service is maintained by the non-profit organisation Infrastructure Services for Open Access C.I.C.

What does indexing mean? All content of journals indexed in DOAJ are immediately openly available. Journals must have an ISSN code, editor-in-chief and/or editorial board, peer review process and their own website with comprehensive background information (e.g. author guidelines, author fees, open access and copyright information). More information on DOAJ inclusion criteria.

ERIH PLUS

A database focused on social sciences and humanities. The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills is responsible for maintaining the database.

What does indexing mean? Journals accepted into the ERIH PLUS database are peer-reviewed, and have an editorial board consisting of experts and a registered ISSN number. Abstracts of research articles must be available in English or another language relevant to the discipline. A maximum of two-thirds of the authors may be from the same organisation. More information on ERIH PLUS inclusion criteria.

Journal.fi

An editorial and publishing service for scientific journals which is maintained by the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies.

What does indexing mean? The indexing indicates which domestic scientific journals are included in the Journal.fi service. Some of the journals are immediately open access and others operate with an embargo.

Scopus

Elsevier's abstract and citation database. Scopus covers different disciplines more widely than WoS. The most well-known indicators based on data from the Scopus database are CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank and Source Normalized Impact Per Paper.

What does indexing mean? The journals are peer-reviewed, and their peer review practices and publication ethics guidelines are publicly available. The journals have a registered ISSN code and at least the titles and summaries of the articles are available in English. More information on Scopus inclusion criteria.

Sherpa Romeo

An online service where it is possible to review the open access policy of registered journals and publishers. The service is maintained by the non-profit organisation Jisc (Joint Information Systems Committee).

What does indexing mean? The indexing means that the publisher has registered its open access policy in the Sherpa Romeo service. In the publication channel listing on the front page of the portal, a mark in the self. arch. column indicates that the channel allows immediate self-archiving of accepted or published versions of the manuscript. More information on Sherpa Romeo inclusion criteria.

Web of Science

A service owned by Clarivate that contains abstract and citation information. The best known products are Science Citation Index Expanded, Arts & Humanities Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index. WoS best covers natural sciences and medicine.

What does indexing mean? The journals indexed in the catalogs of the WoS Core Collection are peer-reviewed, aimed at an international audience, regularly published and ethically acceptable in their editorial practices. Journals are required to provide at least descriptive information in English. In addition, reference analysis is used in the selection. More information on WoS inclusion criteria.

3.7. Indicators

Norwegian classification: Publication channel's level rating in the Norwegian register for scientific journals, series and publishers, if the channel is included in their classification. There are three levels in the Norwegian classification: 1 = basic level, 2 = leading level and level 0 for channels that do not meet level 1 criteria. Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse (HK-dir) is responsible for maintaining the classification in cooperation with Det nasjonale publiseringsutvalget (NPU).

VOL: The three-year average of the publication volume of the publication channel. The panels can upgrade at maximum 25% of the combined publication volume of the publication channels on levels 1-3 in their lists to levels 2 and 3 (level 3 max. 10% of the total publication volume).

4. Making suggestions in the portal

Members of the scientific community can participate in the Publication Forum classification by proposing new publication channels for evaluation or by suggesting a change to the level rating of a publication channel. It is also possible to propose a correction to the bibliographic information of a publication channel (e.g. name, ISSN-number, website).

4.1. Suggestions for new additions

You can suggest new publication channels to be added to the Publication Forum classification to level 1 by filling out the online form. You can make suggestions when you are logged in to the portal.

The "Suggest new channel" button can be found in the menu in the upper right corner of the JUFO portal. The name of the proposed publication channel, identifiers (depending on the type of channel), website address, panel, and justifications must be filled in the form. The panels evaluate new publication channels approximately four times a year. The evaluation process usually takes about 2-5 months.

4.2. Suggestions for level amendments

Log in to the JUFO portal and search for the publication channel whose level category you want to suggest a change to. Click on the name of the publication channel in the search results listing to view the publication channel's information. There is a "Suggest new level" button at the top that opens the proposal form. Proposed level rating and justifications must be filled in the form.

Please note that proposals concerning levels 2 and 3 are generally processed in connection with the re-evaluation of levels 2 and 3, which is carried out every four years.

4.3. Suggestions for correcting bibliographic information

Log in to the JUFO portal and search for the publication channel whose bibliographic information you want to propose a correction. Click on the name of the publication channel in the search results listing to view the publication channel's information. There is a "Report metadata error" button at the top that opens the proposal form. Make your suggestion by using the form that opens.