# Blocklist

The Blocklist feature helps you manage journals and publishers your institution wants to avoid or flag for review. By maintaining a blocklist, your team can make informed decisions during funding request reviews and prevent publications in problematic venues.

## Overview

You can access the Blocklist from the **Journals & Publishers** section in the navigation menu. The blocklist page displays two tabs:

- **Journals**: Blocked journals with their reasons and review status
- **Publishers**: Blocked publishers

Each blocked entry shows the blocked journal/publisher and provides quick access to unblock if needed.

![](/_static/img/blocklist_overview.png)

## Understanding the Blocklist

The blocklist is a centralized institutional policy tool that helps you:

- **Flag predatory journals**: Identify journals with questionable publishing practices
- **Mark mirror journals**: Note journals that are clones of legitimate publications
- **Block entire publishers**: Prevent all journals from specific publishers
- **Enforce institutional policies**: Ensure compliance with your open access guidelines
- **Trigger warnings**: Alert reviewers during funding request evaluation

```{admonition} Singleton Design
CODA maintains a single blocklist for your institution. All blocked journals and publishers are managed centrally, ensuring consistency across all funding request reviews and publication workflows.
```

## Blocking Journals

Journals can be blocked with specific reasons that help categorize the concerns:

### From the Journal Detail Page

1. Navigate to a [journal's detail page](journals.md)
2. Click the **Block** button
3. Select a reason from the dropdown:
   - **Predatory**: Journals with predatory publishing practices
   - **Mirror**: Clone or hijacked versions of legitimate journals
4. Click **Block** to confirm

The journal is immediately added to your blocklist and flagged throughout CODA.


## Blocking Publishers

Publisher blocks are broader than journal blocks—they affect all journals from that publisher. If a journal from a blocked publisher is selected in a funding request, the funding request will display a bocklist note in the review section.

### From the Publishers List

1. Navigate to the [Publishers](publishers.md) page
2. Find the publisher you want to block
3. Click the **Block** button on the publisher's row
4. Confirm the block in the dialog

All journals published by this publisher are now flagged, even if they're not individually blocked.

```{admonition} Journal vs. Publisher Blocks
- **Journal block**: Flags a specific journal (e.g., "Journal X" is problematic)
- **Publisher block**: Flags all journals from a publisher (e.g., "Publisher Y" has questionable practices)

Use publisher blocks for broad policy enforcement and journal blocks for targeted concerns.
```

## Viewing the Blocklist

The blocklist page provides a comprehensive view of all blocked entities:

### Journals Tab

Displays all blocked journals showing:
- **Journal title** and **publisher name**
- **Block reason**: Predatory or Mirror
- **Review status**: After 6 months the UI will show a reminder to review the block status of the journal. 
- Quick actions: Confirm Block or Unblock

### Publishers Tab

Displays all blocked publishers showing:
- **Publisher name**
- Quick action: Unblock

![](/_static/img/blocklist_publishers.png)

## Review System

CODA includes an automatic review reminder system for blocked journals:

### How It Works

- When a journal is blocked, a timestamp is recorded
- After **6 months**, the journal appears as "Needs Review"
- The warning label prompts you to reassess whether the block is still appropriate
- You can confirm the block to reset the review timer

### Confirming a Block

When a journal shows "Needs Review":

1. Navigate to the Blocklist page
2. Find the journal with the warning label
3. Click **Confirm Block**
4. The review timer resets for another 6 months

This ensures your blocklist stays current and reflects your institution's evolving policies.

![](/_static/img/blocklist_review.png)


## Unblocking Journals and Publishers

### Unblocking a Journal

From the blocklist page:

1. Find the journal you want to unblock
2. Click **Unblock**
3. The journal is immediately removed from the blocklist

Alternatively, unblock from the [journal detail page](journals.md) using the **Unblock** button.

### Unblocking a Publisher

From the blocklist page or publishers list:

1. Find the blocked publisher
2. Click **Unblock**
3. The publisher is immediately removed from the blocklist

All journals from this publisher are no longer flagged (unless individually blocked).

## Integration with Funding Requests

The blocklist automatically integrates with [funding request](fundingrequests.md) reviews:

### Automatic Checks

When reviewing a funding request, CODA runs a **Block Check**:

**For article publications:**
1. Checks if the journal is blocked
2. If blocked and needs review, shows a **warning**
3. If blocked and recently confirmed, shows an **error**
4. Checks if the publisher is blocked (even if journal isn't)

**For monograph publications:**
1. Checks if the publisher is blocked

### Check Results

- **Success** (green): "Journal and publisher are not on the blocklist"
- **Warning** (yellow): "Journal [name] is on the blocklist, but needs a review"
- **Failed** (red): "Journal [name] is on the blocklist" or "Publisher [name] is on the blocklist"

These checks help reviewers make informed approval decisions.

## Block Reasons

Understanding the available block reasons helps with consistent categorization:

### Predatory

Use for journals exhibiting predatory publishing practices:
- Lack of peer review or questionable review processes
- Misleading claims about impact factors or indexing
- Excessive or hidden fees
- Spam solicitation of submissions
- Listed on predatory journal databases (e.g., Beall's List)

### Mirror

Use for journals that are clones or hijacked versions:
- Fake websites mimicking legitimate journals
- Using similar ISSNs or titles to established journals
- No legitimate publisher or editorial board
- Attempting to deceive authors and readers

These categories help your team understand *why* a journal is blocked, informing decisions about exceptions or policy changes.