Define the journal’s role within the scholarly landscape.

• Is there a genuine gap in the field that is not served by existing journals?
• What is the unique contribution or niche of this journal?
• Do you have sufficient resources and time capacity to run a scholarly journal?

Community & Editorial Structure

• Who will be your co-editors and editorial board members?
• Can you involve recognised researchers to strengthen your journal’s credibility?
• Is there a reliable pool of reviewers and potential authors?
• Could you perhaps involve researchers in your field to contribute time to the running of your journal?

Clarify who the journal serves and what it stands for.

• Who is your target audience and community (research focus, discipline, region, language)?
• What values (e.g., openness, equity, diversity) define the journal?

Ensure a stable and interoperable publishing environment.

• Where will the journal be hosted (e.g. institutional platform or software such as Open Journal Systems, Janeway, or PubPub). See also Publishing Platforms.
• How will indexing and discoverability be ensured (e.g. Directory of Open Access Journals, Google Scholar)?
• What measures are in place for long-term digital preservation?

Establish clear structures and responsibilities.

• Who legally owns the journal (e.g. institution or scholarly society)?
• Who can make fundamental decisions concerning the journal (e.g. editorial policy)
• How is continuity ensured if key individuals change roles?

Plan for long-term viability.

• What are anticipated costs (e.g. staff, hosting, security updates, upgrades of versions, DOIs, copyediting, language editing, marketing, outreach)?
• What funding sources are available (institutional support, grants, library funds)? See also funding and Resources for editors