We are pleased to announce the publication of Good Practice in Action: A Toolkit for Diamond OA Journals, a set of three complementary resources designed to help editors, publishers, journal managers to strengthen the quality, transparency and visibility of their journals. It can also be used by institutions wanting to assess journals that they publish or support. 

What's in the toolkit?

The toolkit includes three resources:

• Quality in Diamond Open Access Publishing: guidelines, policies and templates provides guidance on essential elements of Diamond OA journals, ready-to-use templates for journal policies and other documents, and technical recommendations covering journal websites, article landing pages, licensing and accessibility. First published in April 2025 and updated in October 2025, the guide has already been translated into Slovenian and Serbian.
• Auditing Framework for Diamond Open Access Journals (2026) is a spreadsheet-based tool guiding the assessment of journal websites and publishing practices. Journals can use the framework for self-assessment, while institutions and publishing units can use it to audit journals they publish or support.
• Let's Do It Right: Fixing Common Issues in Diamond Open Access Journals (2026) helps editorial and technical teams identify and resolve problems that can affect journal transparency, discoverability and eligibility for inclusion in indexing services and directories.

Using the toolkit

The three resources are designed to work together. For example, journals can use the auditing framework to assess their current practices and plan improvements, find guidelines and templates in Quality in Diamond Open Access Publishing and turn to Let's Do It Right for help in solving specific problems. 

The toolkit can also support institutions, libraries and publishing units that publish multiple journals, providing a consistent approach to assessment and helping them identify where additional support and technical assistance are needed.

The toolkit was developed as part of the Collaboration for Sustainable Open Access Publishing in Africa project, funded by the Wellcome Trust. Input from the No-Fee Open Access Publishing in Africa Community of Practice helped ensure that it reflects the needs and experiences of the journals and publishing communities it aims to support. Although developed in the context of Africa, the toolkit can be used by journals and publishing organizations worldwide.