Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/WikiJournal General Support Fund Grant Application 2025
This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.
Applicant information
[edit]- Organization name or Wikimedia Username for individuals. (required)
- WikiJournal
- Do you have any approved General Support Fund requests? (required)
- Yes, I have already applied and received a General Support Fund
- You are applying as a(n). (required)
- Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)
- Are your group or organization legally registered in your country? (required)
- Yes
- Do you have a fiscal sponsor?
- No
- Fiscal organization name.
- N/A
- Please provide links to the following documents if they are available
These documentation can be provided in your local language(s), no translations required.
- Organizational website
- Detailed financial reporting and/or audits
- Documentation of the governance structure, board list, governance processes
- Documentation of the general assembly decision on your plan
https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/WikiJournal_User_Group/Resources
Main proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be a title for the Meta-Wiki page. (required)
- WikiJournal General Support Fund Grant Application 2025
- 2. Do you want to apply for the multi-year base funding for 3 years? (required) (only for returning applicants)
- No
- 2.1. Provide a brief overview of Year 2 and Year 3 of the proposed plan and how this relates to the current proposal and your strategic plan? (required)
N/A
- 3. Proposed start date. (required)
- 2025-07-01
- 4. Proposed end date. (required)
- 2026-06-30
- 5. Does your organization or group have an Affiliate or Organizational Annual Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)
- Yes
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mdBGDMP7STYD8z6fEccFL1Ox5VkIhniJ0iDWzQs4ttA/edit?usp=sharing
- 6. Does your affiliate, organization or group have a Strategic Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)
- Yes
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uPdm7CYeVwPBaa0CqxI24T0HLZ06mnp8-GokkC0SK7I/edit?usp=sharing
- 7. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
- International (more than one country across continents or regions)
- WikiJournal is international in scope, with editors, authors and peer reviewers from all continents except Antarctica.
- 8. What are your programs, approaches, and strategies? What are the challenges that you are trying to address and how will your strategies support you in addressing these challenges? (required)
Summary WikiJournal is both a collection of open-access, peer-reviewed academic journals and also an initiative that bridges the gap between academia and Wikimedia, making high-quality scholarly knowledge freely accessible to everyone. We’re a dedicated group of volunteers and staff working to create a reliable and inclusive academic publishing space. With this funding, we aim to strengthen our operations, improve our platform, expand outreach, and refine our peer review processes. Ultimately, we want WikiJournal to be a trusted source of open-access scholarship that benefits both academic and Wikimedia communities.
Background and Context: WikiJournal connects rigorous academic publishing with the accessibility of Wikimedia projects like Wikipedia and Wikiversity. Expert-reviewed knowledge shouldn’t be locked behind paywalls—it should be freely available to a global audience. Within academia, scholars receive little credit for contributing to Wikimedia projects; traditionally they receive credit only for publishing in scholarly journals. Because the Wikijournals are proper scholarly journals that are oriented toward improving Wikimedia projects, they provide a unique incentive for academics to contribute, via a process that’s familiar to them. We have created three journals so far: the WikiJournal of Medicine, WikiJournal of Science, and WikiJournal of Humanities. Our volunteer-driven editorial teams—comprising scholars, researchers, and professionals—are committed to maintaining academic integrity while ensuring knowledge reaches the widest possible audience. Our published articles range from original research to scholarly reviews, some of which are integrated directly into or from Wikipedia, raising the standard of freely available academic content.
PROGRAMS AND APPROACHES Strengthening Operational Capacity
- We want to make our editorial workflows smoother and more efficient, ensuring that peer review and publishing processes run seamlessly. Academics will only contribute to a journal if they are confident that peer review happens in a timely fashion.
- Administrative and technical support will help us manage submissions better and sustain the platform’s growth. Academics who serve as editors typically are not very familiar with use of Wikimedia platforms and require technical assistance.
Expanding Outreach and Contributor Engagement
- We’re actively reaching out to diverse academic communities, including scholars from underrepresented backgrounds, to broaden our contributor base.
- We aim to build stronger partnerships with universities, research institutions, and open-access advocates.
- We plan to raise awareness of WikiJournal through academic conferences, Wikimedia events, and direct engagement with researchers and students.
Enhancing Technical Infrastructure
- Our platform needs improvements to make it easier for contributors to submit and review articles while maintaining compatibility with Wikipedia's standards.
Sustainability and Growth Planning
- Long-term stability—we are looking to secure diverse funding sources beyond grants to ensure our project keeps thriving. We will be looking for additional charitable foundations in the scope of supporting open-access publishing.
- We’re exploring ways to expand our volunteer base while ensuring contributors feel supported and valued.
- Addressing legal and administrative hurdles will help us maintain smooth operations.
Increasing Global Impact on Access to Peer-Reviewed Information
- We believe knowledge should be available to everyone, regardless of location or background, and we’re committed to making our work as inclusive as possible.
- We want to develop multilingual content and expand access to scholars and readers worldwide.
CHALLENGES AND HOW WE ARE TACKLING THEM Keeping Things Running Efficiently
- Challenge: Managing a global team of volunteers, all with other full-time commitments, while keeping editorial and review processes on track can be difficult
- Strategy: We’re working on finding better tools (better tracking of submission status, and reminders when an activity is overdue), clearer editorial guidelines, buddy systems, and more efficient workflows to make the process easier for everyone involved.
- We are also adding additional advisory roles to boards to help achieve this.
Addressing Legal and Insurance Concerns
- Challenge: Due to the nature of academic publishing we require insurance to cover liability, copyright, and governance.
- Strategy: We’re consulting with multiple experts to navigate these complexities and looking into insurance options to protect our contributors and operations, without spending significant costs on this.
Reaching Underrepresented and Underserved Communities
- Challenge: Many voices are still missing in academic publishing, especially from underrepresented and underfunded regions and disciplines.
- Strategy: We conduct outreach, translation efforts, and collaborations with individuals (and hopefully teams) in underrepresented and underserved regions to make WikiJournal more inclusive. This includes prioritizing article submissions from underrepresented geographic areas, increasing translation of article abstracts into other languages, and encouraging editors in underserved areas to attend local conferences and other activities. For example, we’ve had our technical editor in Nigeria attend a local conference in order to engage scholars in Nigeria, and we intend to continue this outreach.
Ensuring Long-Term Funding Viability
- Challenge: Relying solely on grants is not optimal —we need a long-term plan.
- Strategy: We are implementing a purposeful downsizing, maintaining only the essential paid services to continue functioning as a publisher, while also leaving the potential to gradually grow in the future. We’re trying to diversify our funding sources, explore potential partnerships (see section 12), and grow our volunteer network to ensure WikiJournal’s future.
- Due to budget restraints, WikiJournal will no longer be a paid member of COPE, but will continue to maintain rigorous ethical standards as specified by the COPE organization, and reflected in the internally developed “Ethics statement” (https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/WikiJournal_User_Group/Ethics_statement).
Internal and External Challenges
- Internally, we face volunteer burnout, governance complexities, and the need for scalable operations.
- Externally, we’re navigating competition with traditional academic journals, ensuring credibility in academia, and keeping up with Wikipedia's evolving policies.
- Strategies: We’re working on mentorship programs for new volunteers, refining our governance structures, maintaining close collaboration with Wikimedia Foundation, and staying engaged with the wider academic publishing community.
We also plan on having an external consultant to offer additional advice for both internal and external challenges.
Impact and Benefits
- More expert peer-reviewed content on Wikipedia – By integrating our articles into Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, we’re making rigorously reviewed scholarship accessible to millions.
- Bridging academia and Wikimedia – We’re fostering trust between scholars and Wikimedia, showing that open-access publishing can be both rigorous and widely accessible, something that scholars have been reluctant to do in the past. This attracts more scholars to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
- Making Wikipedia more reliable – Our peer-reviewed articles provide high-quality material that improve Wikipedia’s credibility, including reviews, meta-analyses and media content.
- Diversity in academic publishing – We offer an inclusive, free platform that supports researchers from all backgrounds, especially those traditionally underrepresented in academia.
- Community-driven impact – We’re listening to our contributors, authors, and editors to ensure WikiJournal continues to meet their needs and expand its influence.
- 9. What categories are your main programs and related activities under? Please select all that apply. (required)
| Category | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Education | Yes |
| Culture, heritage or GLAM | No |
| Gender and diversity | No |
| Community support and engagement | Yes |
| Participation in campaigns and contests | No |
| Public policy advocacy | No |
| Other | No |
Education
- 9.1.1. Select all your programs and activities for Education. (required)
- Research, Translation
- Other programs and activities if any: N/A
- 9.1.2. Select all relevant audience groups for Education. (required)
- Secondary school students, Vocational, tertiary, or higher education, Teachers or professors
- Other groups if any: N/A
Community support and engagement
- 9.4. Select all your programs and activities for Community support and engagement.
- On-wiki training of community members, Organizing meetups, conferences, and community events, Supporting community members' participation in events and conferences
- Other programs and activities if any: N/A
- 10. Please include a link to or upload a timeline (operational calendar) for your programs and activities. (required)
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uPdm7CYeVwPBaa0CqxI24T0HLZ06mnp8-GokkC0SK7I/edit?usp=sharing
- 11. Describe your team. (required)
The WikiJournal team is a diverse and dedicated group of volunteers, academics, and professionals who are passionate about open-access publishing and the Wikimedia mission. Our team includes editors, peer reviewers, and admin/technical contractors, all working together to ensure the highest standards of academic integrity and accessibility.
Editorial Board: Composed of experienced researchers and subject matter experts who oversee the peer review process, maintain journal policies, and ensure rigorous academic standards.
Peer Reviewers: Scholars and professionals from various disciplines who contribute their expertise to evaluate and improve submitted articles.
Admin/Technical Team: Volunteers who manage the platform’s infrastructure, enhance technical workflows, and ensure compatibility with Wikimedia standards. https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/WikiJournal_User_Group/Editors
Our team operates collaboratively across different time zones and backgrounds. For example, each of our monthly meetings is run twice at disparate times, so that at least one will suit the timezone of all parts of the globe.
- 12. Will you be working with any internal (Wikimedia) or external partners? Describe the characteristics of these partnerships and bring a few examples of the most significant partnerships. (required)
Internal Collaboration:
- Wikipedia & Wikiversity: Content from at least half of WikiJournal articles is incorporated into Wikipedia as high-quality, peer-reviewed citations, enhancing the reliability of Wikipedia’s content. We also use Wikiversity as a hosting platform.
- Wikimedia Volunteers & Affiliates: We will be engaging with Wikimedia user groups and chapters to promote awareness, increase participation, and expand our global reach.
- Potential Collaborations with Other Wiki User Groups: We are exploring partnerships with other Wikimedia user groups, namely Art+Feminism and WikiTongues, to share expertise, expand our impact, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration within the Wikimedia ecosystem. We are also exploring collaborations with North American Hub Research Project and Wikimedia Canada.
- Seeking Strategic Management Advice: We are actively seeking guidance from experienced individuals both within Wikimedia and beyond to strengthen our strategic planning, governance, and long-term sustainability.
External Collaboration: Beyond Wikimedia, WikiJournal actively works with external organizations to strengthen our academic credibility and outreach. Notable partnerships include:
- Universities and Research Institutions: We aim to partner with academic institutions to encourage faculty and student contributions, promote open-access publishing, and support knowledge dissemination.
- Open-Access Organizations: We are researching collaborations with other open access publishing groups such as Open Journal Systems.
- Scholarly Societies and Conferences: By engaging with professional associations and presenting at academic conferences, we foster relationships that encourage scholars to contribute to WikiJournal as authors, reviewers, or editors.
These partnerships are crucial for expanding WikiJournal’s impact, ensuring high academic standards, and maintaining long-term sustainability in the open-access publishing landscape.
- 13. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select all that apply. (required)
- Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Improve User Experience, Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Innovate in Free Knowledge, Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt
Metrics
[edit]Wikimedia Metrics
[edit]- 14. Please select and fill out Wikimedia Metrics for your proposal. (recommended)
- 14.1. Number of participants, editors, and organizers.
All metrics provided are optional, please fill them out if they are aligned with your programs and activities.
| Metrics name | Target | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of all participants | 100 | Including authors, peer reviewers and editors |
| Number of all editors | 85 | 56 editorial board members, 18 associate editors and 11 technical editors |
| Number of new editors | 10 | |
| Number of retained editors | 75 | |
| Number of all organizers | 9 | 9 administrative board members |
| Number of new organizers | 1 |
- 14.2. Number of new content contributions to Wikimedia projects. (recommended)
| Wikimedia project | Created | Edited or improved |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | ||
| Wikimedia Commons | ||
| Wikidata | ||
| Wiktionary | ||
| Wikisource | ||
| Wikimedia Incubator | ||
| Translatewiki | ||
| MediaWiki | ||
| Wikiquote | ||
| Wikivoyage | ||
| Wikibooks | ||
| Wikiversity | ||
| Wikinews | ||
| Wikispecies | ||
| Wikifunctions / Abstract Wikipedia |
- Description for Wikimedia projects contributions metrics. (optional)
Other Metrics
[edit]- 15. Do you have other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required)
- Yes
| Other Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Publications | Publications: We published 8 articles in 2024 and are on track to increase that number in 2025. | 20 |
| Community engagement outcomes | Community engagement outcomes: Dozens of experts from various scientific fields were recruited as peer reviewers in 2024 for individual articles, and we will do the same for 2026. | 20 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Budget
[edit]- 16. Will you have any other revenue sources when implementing this proposal (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required)
- No
- 16.1. List other revenue sources. (required)
N/A
- 16.2. Approximately how much revenue will you have from other sources in your local currency? (required)
- N/A
- 17. Your local currency. (required)
- USD
- 18. What is the total requested amount in your local currency? (required)
- 10867 USD
| Year | Amount (local currency) |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | N/A USD |
| Year 2 | N/A USD |
| Year 3 | N/A USD |
- 19. Does this proposal include compensation for staff or contractors? (required)
- Yes
- 19.1. How many paid staff members do you plan to have? (required)
Include the number of staff and contractors during the proposal period. If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include them separately and mention their terms.
- 6 technical editors
- 19.2. How many FTEs (full-time equivalents) in total? (required)
Include the total FTE of staff and contractors during the proposal period. If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include their FTEs with the terms separately.
- 0.17 FTE
- 19.3. Describe any staff or contractor changes compared to the current year / ongoing General Support Fund if any. (required only for returning grantees)
- There is a purposeful downscaling of technical editor activity, but the tasks of technical editors remain the same.
- 20. Please provide an overview of your overall budget categories in your local currency. The budget breakdown should include only the amount requested with this General Support Fund (required).
| Budget category | Amount in local currency |
|---|---|
| Staff and contractor costs | 7000 USD |
| Operational costs | 1592 USD |
| Programmatic costs | 2275 USD |
- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
Additional information
[edit]- 22. In this optional space you can add any other additional information about your proposal or organization that you think can help us when reviewing your proposal. (optional)
-
By submitting your proposal/funding request you agree that you are in agreement with the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and the Universal Code of Conduct.
We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
- Yes
Feedback
[edit]- Please add any feedback to the grant discussion page only. Any feedback added here will be removed.
- Wikimedia Community Fund/Proposals
- Wikimedia Community Fund/Proposals/Under review
- Education - General Support Funds in FY 2024-25
- Community support and engagement - General Support Funds in FY 2024-25
- Awaiting grantee reply General Support Funds for NA in FY 2024-25
- Awaiting grantee reply General Support Funds for NA in FY 2024-25 (Round 2)
- General Support Funds for NA in FY 2024-25 (Round 2)
- General Support Funds in FY 2024-25 (Round 2)
- Awaiting grantee reply General Support Funds in FY 2024-25 (Round 2)
- General Support Fund proposals by WikiJournal
- Awaiting grantee reply General Support Funds in FY 2024-25