The landscape of Indonesian journal publishing: A country-level analysis of journal and publisher characteristics

Abstract Existing studies on the rapid growth of Indonesian journals focus on metrics but lack the in-depth analysis of their publisher characteristics. This study examines Indonesian journal publishers across four databases: Indonesian Digital References (GARUDA), covering most Indonesian journals; Science and Technology Index (SINTA), covering accredited national journals; Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), covering open-access journals; and Scopus, covering reputable international journals. It analyzes Indonesian publishers by type and size, and their journal standing in national journal accreditation (SINTA) and international indexes (DOAJ, Scopus). The findings show that Indonesian higher education institutions (HEIs) contribute significantly as publishers, with many journals in all databases, alongside government agencies, professional organizations, and commercial publishers. They have the most journals performing well in SINTA accreditation grades, DOAJ criteria, and Scopus rankings. However, many Indonesian journals still face challenges in meeting their objectives for national journal accreditation and inclusion in international indexes. Understanding the country-level journal-publishing landscape is crucial for governments and HEIs to implement data-driven policies that support national journal development. It provides a framework for researchers to explore journal publishing in other countries, enabling an examination of performance and impact using appropriate metrics and databases.