1. INDEXING OBJECTIVES AND EDITORIAL COMMITMENT

The main objectives of PAMJ’s indexing and abstracting strategy are:

• To ensure the discoverability of published articles by international researchers, policy-makers, and professionals across disciplines
• To promote citation impact and scholarly recognition of contributions made by authors
• To position PAMJ as a trusted source of peer-reviewed knowledge in public policy, governance, economics, law, management, and digital transformation
• To align the journal with the standards and ethical frameworks required by indexing agencies such as COPE, DOAJ, Scopus, and Web of Science

The editorial board of PAMJ is fully engaged in ongoing efforts to improve the journal’s technical and scientific standards to meet the rigorous evaluation criteria of major indexing platforms.

2. CURRENT INDEXING AND ACADEMIC DIRECTORIES

PAMJ is actively working toward inclusion in top-tier indexing databases. At present, the journal is indexed in:

Google Scholar: All articles are indexed in Google Scholar to ensure global visibility and ease of citation tracking.

3. BENEFITS OF INDEXING FOR AUTHORS AND RESEARCHERS

Being indexed in prestigious academic databases significantly enhances the value of a publication for authors. Key benefits include:

• Increased visibility and readership: Indexed articles are more easily discovered by international readers and cited more frequently.
• Academic recognition: Publications in indexed journals are often considered more credible and count toward academic promotions, research evaluations, and funding applications.
• Stable citation tracking: Through DOIs, Google Scholar, and bibliometric databases, authors can monitor the citation performance of their articles over time.
• Institutional archiving: Indexed content is more likely to be archived and preserved in university repositories and digital libraries.
• Open access compliance: PAMJ's indexing strategy ensures alignment with open access mandates by funding agencies and institutions.

4. FUTURE INDEXING TARGETS AND EVALUATION PROCESS

PAMJ is currently undergoing internal and external preparation to meet the technical and content requirements of the following major databases:

PLANNED APPLICATIONS IN PROGRESS:

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): PAMJ complies with DOAJ's strict requirements in terms of open access, ethical publishing, and transparent editorial processes. Application under review.
• Scopus (Elsevier): The journal is preparing for submission by enhancing the international diversity of its editorial board, citation consistency, and peer review documentation.
• Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) - Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI): PAMJ aims to enter the ESCI as a first step toward full inclusion in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Criteria under consideration include citation metrics, editorial quality, and publishing timeliness.

EVALUATION STRATEGY:

To meet these indexing goals, PAMJ has implemented a three-year strategic indexing plan, focusing on:

• Improving citation quality and consistency
• Internationalizing author and reviewer base
• Ensuring open access interoperability (OAI-PMH, LOCKSS/CLOCKSS compatibility)
• Adopting XML metadata submission standards
• Strengthening anti-plagiarism measures and COPE compliance

5. INDEXING METADATA AND TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

All PAMJ articles are assigned structured metadata using the following standards:

• DOI registration via CrossRef
• ORCID integration for authors
• OAI-PMH protocol for repository harvesting
• XML tagging in JATS/BITS format for indexing services
• Archiving compatibility with PKP Preservation Network (PN)
• Use of open-access licenses (CC BY 4.0)

The journal’s platform ensures SEO optimization, mobile compatibility, and metadata visibility for crawling by scholarly aggregators and search engines.

6. COLLABORATIONS AND TECHNICAL PARTNERS

To support its indexing goals, PAMJ works with the following service providers and partners:

• Imist Journals Platform (revues.imist.ma) – Hosting and integration support
• CrossRef – DOI management and metadata submission
• LOCKSS/CLOCKSS – Digital preservation for long-term access
• Google Scholar / ORCID / BASE – Automated indexing and author identity resolution

These collaborations are essential for maintaining the journal’s commitment to transparency, discoverability, and preservation.

7. LONG-TERM INDEXING VISION

In the medium to long term, PAMJ seeks to become a recognized international journal in the fields of public administration, economics, and market studies. This includes:

• Building a strong citation footprint in core areas such as governance, law, management, and digital transformation
• Enhancing multilingual metadata (while maintaining English-only content) for global outreach
• Encouraging international collaborations for thematic issues and special calls
• Expanding author affiliations to increase representation from institutions across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas

The journal aims to establish itself as a referenced academic source not only for scholars and PhD students, but also for policymakers, legal professionals, and institutional leaders.