Khulisa Journals Communiqué | February 2026

[Ina Smith]

Dear Khulisa Journal Editors and Managers,

This message is a bit longer than usual, because a lot has been happening over the past month or two! We’ve also been busy evaluating the Khulisa Journals and have already completed extensive reviews for four journals. Wee’ll be working through the rest soon and will contact each editor individually. The aim is to further support you and strengthen journal performance across the platform. Khulisa Lunch Hour Sessions will commence once our upgrade has been completed.

Some other news…

SA National Open Science Policy

Good news! The long awaited SA Open Science Policy was approved by Cabinet on 5 December 2025. The final version will be shared with stakeholders and uploaded to the DSTI website early in 2026.

This policy sets the expected direction and minimum norms for publishing outputs from publicly funded research: publications (and related data/metadata) should be made open access and outputs should be described using reusable metadata and machine-readable licences so they can be discovered and reused. It also emphasises interoperable infrastructure that links repositories and the publishing ecosystem.

Importantly, it provides a practical boundary condition for journal and platform governance through the principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”. This allows justified limits based on ethics, intellectual property, confidentiality, POPIA-type constraints, environmental risk, or research credibility - i.e. exactly the kinds of decisions journals (and a hosting platform like Khulisa) must operationalise in policy templates and workflows.

Please also keep the DHET Research Outputs Policy in mind, as it continues to guide our journal publications:

https://www.dhet.gov.za/Policy%20and%20Development%20Support/Research%20Outputs%20Policy%202015.pdf 

Khulisa Journals Mailing List

Please note that we will soon be cleaning and updating the mailing list. This list is intended for Khulisa Journal Editors and Journal Managers only. Thank you for your understanding.

PDF elements (recommended for the first page of published manuscripts)

We'd like to recommend that the following elements form part of the first page of published articles from your journal. Please repeat key elements across the PDF where appropriate, so the provenance of the published PDF travels with it wherever it goes. We hope this helps!

• Journal title displayed clearly
• ISSN/eISSN shown (preferably on the first page)
• Volume, issue/number shown
• Publication month/season and year shown
• Article type/section label (e.g. Research Article, Review, Commentary)
• Article title (clear and informative)
• DOI shown (and presented as a link/resolvable identifier)
• “How to cite”/ recommended citation provided
• Page range or article number/eLocator (and consistent with the citation)
• Full author list (names consistent across PDF/HTML/metadata)
• Author affiliations listed (institution. country; ROR IDs as best practice)
• Corresponding author clearly indicated
• Corresponding author email provided
• ORCID iDs included (best practice - ideally for all authors)
• Copyright statement present
• Licence statement present (e.g. CC BY 4.0)
• Licence icon/URL or clear wording of reuse permissions
• Received date
• Revised date(s) (if applicable)
• Accepted date
• Published online/publication date
• Handling editor/editor name (or editorial responsibility statement)
• Peer review statement/indicator (explicit)
• Funding statement (including “None” if no funding)
• Conflict of interest/competing interests statement (or “None declared”)
• Data availability statement (even if “Not applicable”)
• Ethics approval statement (when human/animal data is involved)
• Consent statement (where applicable)
• Clinical trial registration (where applicable)
• Abstract present (or clearly marked summary)
• Keywords present (e.g. 6 keywords, including SDGs where relevant)
• Highlights/significance statement (optional, but strong best practice)
• Link or note to supplementary material (if any)

That’s quite a list, and not all items will necessarily apply to every article. Please  use as and when needed.

iThenticate 2.0 Migration

ASSAf will be migrating to iThenticate Version 2.0 on Saturday, 14 February 2026. Please note that the iThenticate account will not be accessible during the migration window.

To ensure consistent and ethical use of the ASSAf subscription across Khulisa Journals, please follow these requirements:

• Only journals formally hosted on the Khulisa Journals platform may use the ASSAf iThenticate subscription.
• Editors must use the ASSAf-provided iThenticate account directly. Please do not activate the iThenticate plugin/integration in OJS. To request access, email i...@assaf.org.za
• Manuscripts may only be screened after initial editorial checks, when they are being sent for peer review. Please do not screen desk-rejected submissions.
• Recommendation: Save the similarity report in the relevant OJS submission (e.g., Review Files or the Submission Library) with access limited to admin/editorial users.

One of the main highlights of iThenticate 2.0 is an AI writing detection tool (as an add-on). For more information, please watch the webinar:

https://view-su2.highspot.com/viewer/c15750328421ad0ac06d0b32a769c8f4 

Or visit the upgrade guide:

https://guides.ithenticate.com/hc/en-us/articles/32604031123853-Upgrading-to-iThenticate-2-0#01HPSRMEKWCP775HFDDNXZJN79 

OJS Upgrade to Version 3.5

Thank you to everyone who has been testing OJS 3.5.0.3 on our test/development server. Nason is currently addressing the reported issues and will communicate a date for the upgrade once everything is ready.

Editorial Transition

A proper handover between outgoing and incoming editors protects continuity and fairness in editorial decisions, so manuscripts don’t stall, get lost or end up with inconsistent outcomes. It also preserves institutional memory (policies, workflows, contacts, timelines) and reduces operational risk (access, compliance, reputational damage). Ultimately, it reassures authors, reviewers, and readers that the journal remains stable, accountable, and trustworthy during the transition.

A solid handover usually has four tracks running in parallel: governance, operational access, editorial workflow, and public communication. Fortunately OJS keeps track of many of the items listed below.

1) Governance and appointment

Confirm the end date of the outgoing editor’s term (minutes/letter).

Appoint the incoming editor (board decision) and record it formally.

Define term details for the incoming editor: start date, term length, renewal limits, role description, conflict-of-interest expectations and decision authority.

Deliverables

Board/committee minutes or resolution

Appointment letter and acceptance

Updated “Aims & scope/ editorial structure” document (if needed)

2) Operational handover (systems, permissions, institutional memory)

Transfer platform roles (e.g. OJS) so the new editor has the correct permissions.

Update shared accounts (journal email inbox, ORCID/Crossref accounts if applicable, plagiarism-check accounts, shared drives).

Update the editorial board/roles list and internal contact list.

Hand over a “how we do things” pack (templates and standard workflows).

Handover pack typically includes

Current editorial policies (peer review model, ethics, AI policy, data policy, author guidelines)

Decision-letter templates and reviewer invitation templates

Production schedule/issue plan

Style guide and typesetting/copyediting workflow

Key service providers and contracts (typesetter, platform host, DOI registration, indexing contacts)
Passwords

3) Workflow continuity (active manuscripts)

This is the most important part - otherwise things can get chaotic.

Export/prepare a status report of all submissions: manuscript ID, title, current stage, handling editor, reviewers invited/assigned, deadlines, next action and risks (e.g. overdue reviews).

Agree cut-over rules, for example:

The outgoing editor finalises decisions already near completion.

The incoming editor takes new submissions from a specific date.

A “transition month” where both can act, but only one has final sign-off.

Check policy consistency: if the incoming editor plans changes, decide whether they apply only to new submissions from a set date.

Deliverables

“Submissions in progress” transition spreadsheet or report

Written cut-over rules (even a 1-page note)

4) Communication and public record

Notify stakeholders: editorial board, reviewers, authors with active submissions, the publisher/host and indexing services (if they require it).

Update the journal website (masthead/editorial team page).

Consider a short editorial note: thank the outgoing editor, welcome the incoming editor and confirm continuity.

Optional but useful

A joint message from outgoing and incoming editor

A handover meeting with section editors and the managing editor

Publishing Agreement

Attached is a draft publishing agreement for consideration between the author(s) and the journal, should your journal need something like this. Please feel free to edit and customise it.

This all for now! Wishing all a wonderful February, and please keep in touch!

With kind regards,
Ina

Ina Smith

Planning Manager

Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)

 

Switchboard: +27 12 349 6600   

Tel: +27 828180117   

Email: i...@assaf.org.za 

 

 

 

Community Manager Africa
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

25A De Havilland Crescent, Persequor Park

Meiring Naudé Road, Lynnwood 0020, Pretoria, South Africa.

 

PO Box 72135, Lynnwood Ridge 0040, Pretoria, South Africa.

 

Website: www.assaf.org.za

ASSAf Disclaimer: The views and opinions included in this email belong to their author and do not necessarily mirror the views and opinions of the organisation. Our employees are obliged not to make any defamatory statements, infringe, or authorize infringement of any legal right. Therefore, the organisation will not accept any liability for such statements included in emails. In case of any damages or other liabilities arising, employees are fully responsible for the content of their emails. The processing of personal information by ASSAf is done lawfully and not excessive to the purpose of processing in compliance with the POPI Act, any codes of conduct issued by the Information Regulator in terms of the POPI Act and / or relevant legislation providing appropriate security safeguards for the processing of personal information of others.

[Ina Smith]

Apologies - example Publisher Agreement attached .....

---

From: khu...@googlegroups.com <khu...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Ina Smith <I...@assaf.org.za>
Sent: Wednesday, 04 February 2026 14:39
To: 'Google Groups' via Khulisa Journal Editors <khu...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Khulisa Journals] Khulisa Journals Communiqué | February 2026

 

Caution: This is an external email and may be malicious. Please take care when clicking links or opening attachments.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Khulisa Journal Editors" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to khulisa+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/khulisa/PAXPR04MB8989F6F4DF8F5A91129922749B98A%40PAXPR04MB8989.eurprd04.prod.outlook.com.