Before discussing the open journal systems ( or pkp ojs popularity), I would also like to start with the root reason. So, developed and developing countries are spending tons of money on research infrastructures such as open-access journals.
The reason for the matter discussed in the opening remark could be the instant requirement of sustainable development and to avoid the currently seen negative effects of global warming. To elevate the research, each government wants their scholars to invest more time in finding new approaches to simplify daily human life without affecting the natural environment.
As a result, worldwide research communities and universities are putting extra effort into innovations. However, scholars must document their findings in research articles or book chapters to get others’ thoughts and comments.
Eventually, it required some arrangements to publish such scholarly articles. So, in the open-access journal, one can publish research articles and let them be available for peers to review and for future research reference. Open-access journals proved to be a rich source of online reference material.
The open-access journal has become increasingly popular among researchers, authors, and the general public. The concept of open access is based on the idea that scientific research should be freely available to everyone without the need to pay subscription fees. This allows for greater dissemination of knowledge, which in turn can lead to greater understanding and advancements in various fields. However, many individuals around the globe can’t have access to such costly resources to initiate the open access journal’s websites.
Consequently, the platform Open Journal System (OJS), Sometimes known as PKP OJS, Public Knowledge Project OJS, or PKP Open Journal System, has become an open-source platform for establishing open-access journals. In the subsequent section, I will discuss OJS in brief.
So, What is Open Journal System (OJS)?
Open Journal Systems (OJS) is an open-source software platform for managing and publishing scholarly journals. The Public Knowledge Project (PKP), a non-profit organization based at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada, developed it. It is designed to assist with every stage of the journal publishing process, from submission and peer review to archiving and indexing.
OJS provides various tools for editors, authors, and reviewers, including a submission and peer-review system, an editorial workflow, and a publishing platform. It also includes features like indexing, archiving, and multiple languages and currencies support.
The platform is already a home for more than 10000 scholarly open-access journals worldwide. Its open-source nature allows it to be modified per user tests and requirements.
Now that you know about the OJS, let’s address the core part of the discussion in the next section.
Reasons For the Popularity of Open Journal Systems (OJS)?
There are mainly 2 reasons which make Open Journal Systems (OJS) the most popular open-sourced platform for the website of open-access journals. The actual reasons are as follows:
The advanced technology and dedicated domain expertise used to make this enriches the platform with extraordinary features and attributes. Eventually, the robustness gained automatic attention from the relevant user community. Out of many such functionalities, I would like to discuss a few with detailed information in the subsequent section.
Cost-Effective: It is open-source software that is free to use and distribute. “Free” availability is a significant advantage for organizations and individuals who want to launch an open-access journal but may not have the financial resources to purchase proprietary software.
It eliminates the need for costly subscription fees and allows organizations to invest resources in other areas, such as promoting their journal and paying author fees. This cost-effectiveness is particularly beneficial for non-profit organizations, emerging journals, and institutions in developing countries, which may not have the resources to invest in proprietary software.
Feature-Rich: It provides many features for managing and publishing an open-access journal. These features include;
- peer-review management,
- workflow management,
- indexing,
- archiving.
It also allows for customization, which means users can tailor the software to their specific needs. This is especially useful for journals that have unique publishing requirements. For example, journals that publish multimedia content or data sets can benefit from OJS’s ability to handle different file formats and embed multimedia content.
Large & Active User Community: It has a large and active user community that provides support and resources for users. This community includes developers, publishers, and researchers who share knowledge, best practices, and solutions to common problems.
The community also organizes regular meetings and events, allowing users to network and learn from one another. The community also provides support and training, which can be particularly valuable for organizations new to open-access publishing.
Compatibility: It is compatible with a wide range of platforms and systems, making it easy to integrate with existing infrastructure. This is particularly useful for organizations with a website or content management system that want to launch an open-access journal.
It can also be integrated with other open-source platforms such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, allowing greater flexibility and scalability.
Customization: It allows for customization of the journal’s layout and design (ojs themes), which allows journals to create a unique online presence that reflects their brand. It also allows journals to add multimedia elements such as videos and images.
Easy Indexing: It is a dedicated platform for online journal management. It has been designed by keeping the guidelines from world-leading indexing agencies like SCOPUS.
As a result, journal owner can easily index their journals with world-renowned indexers by following the strict workflow of the OJS and maintaining the review quality.
Plugins Compatibility: PKP has made this software robust enough to accept extended functionalities in the form of third-party plugins. So many plugins are available which can fulfill the requirements not provided by the default OJS setup.
Frequent OJS Upgrade: Despite being an open-source platform, to accommodate the times and user demands, PKP keeps on providing regular upgrades. upgrades ensure that hosted journals and its database remain secure for longer.
Journal managers can have additional functionalities to meet the readers’ and authors’ needs. To know more about the OJS upgrade. For a detailed description of the upgrade.
Headless Integration: It allows you to combine your existing journal’s website with the new OJS setup. If you want the editorial workflow only with the existing website front end, this can be a scenario with OJS. However, this is an expert task and asks for extra care. Higher expert for the headless integration.
User-Friendly: It is designed to be easy to use, which reduces the need for extensive technical expertise to set up and maintain a journal website. This makes it accessible to many organizations and individuals, including those who may not have a dedicated IT department.
The user-friendly interface allows for easy navigation and management of the journal, which can be particularly valuable for small organizations or journals with limited staff.
Accessibility: It allows for the creation of accessible open-access journal websites; this means that the open-access journal website is accessible to people with disabilities, which is important for ensuring that all members of the public can access and read articles. This is particularly important because many open-access journals are funded by public institutions responsible for ensuring their resources are accessible to everyone.
Scalability: It is designed to handle a wide range of publishing models, from small journals with limited articles to large journals with thousands of articles.
This scalability allows organizations to start small and grow their open-access journal as needed. It also allows for multiple languages and character sets, which makes it an ideal choice for journals that publish articles in multiple languages.
All these factors combined make It an attractive option for launching and managing an open-access journal. With its cost-effectiveness, feature-rich functionality, large and active user community, compatibility, user-friendliness, and accessibility, It is a powerful tool for making scientific research widely available to the public.
Well-organized Editorial & Publishing Workflow is the most important aspect of any Open-access journal. The detail of each step has been furnished in a subsequent section.
The editorial workflow in OJS begins with submitting an article by an author. The submission is then assigned to an editor, who reviews the article and decides whether it should be sent out for peer review. If the editor determines that the article is suitable for publication, they will assign it to one or more reviewers for evaluation.
The peer review process in OJS is double-blind, meaning that the author’s and the reviewers’ identities are kept anonymous. Open-access journal Reviewers are given a set of guidelines and criteria to evaluate the article and provide feedback and recommendations to the editor.
The editor can then decide whether to accept, reject, or revise the article based on the feedback from the reviewers.
If the article is accepted, it is sent to the copyediting stage. The article is reviewed for grammar, spelling, and style in this stage, and any necessary revisions are made.
The author can then review their article’s copyedited version and make any final revisions.
After the copyediting stage, the article is sent to the layout and proofreading stage. The article is formatted and prepared for publication at this stage, and any final errors are caught and corrected.
Finally, the article is published online in the journal. OJS allows for a variety of publishing options, including immediate or delayed open access, and also allows for archiving and preservation of published content.
Overall, OJS’s editorial and publishing workflow is designed to be efficient, transparent, and fair. It allows for effective management of the review, editing, and publishing process and provides a high level of control and flexibility for editors and authors.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, OJS is a powerful and versatile platform that has become the preferred choice for many organizations and individuals looking to establish open-access journals. Its open-source nature, wide range of features, active user community, compatibility, and accessibility make it an ideal choice for those looking to make scientific research more widely available to the public.