Starting an academic journal is a serious decision. It is not only about creating a website and publishing articles. A successful journal needs a clear aim, strong editorial policy, peer-review process, ethical publishing practices, and a reliable online journal management system.
For universities, research organizations, societies, and independent publishers, Open Journal Systems (OJS) is one of the most trusted platforms for managing academic journals online. OJS helps publishers handle submissions, peer review, editorial workflow, publishing, indexing preparation, and archives from one place.
In this guide, we will explain how to start a journal with Open Journal Systems step by step.
What is Open Journal Systems?
Open Journal Systems, commonly known as OJS, is an open-source journal management and publishing platform. It is widely used by academic publishers, universities, institutions, and research groups to publish scholarly journals online.
With OJS, you can manage the complete journal workflow, including author registration, manuscript submission, editor assignment, reviewer management, copyediting, production, and online publication.
The biggest advantage of OJS is that it gives publishers full control over their journal website, editorial process, archive, metadata, and publishing policies.
Why Choose OJS for Starting a Journal?
OJS is suitable for new as well as established journals because it provides a complete publishing environment. Instead of managing articles through email, spreadsheets, or manual records, OJS allows everything to be managed in a structured way.
Some major benefits of using OJS include:
- Online manuscript submission system
- Role-based access for authors, editors, reviewers, and journal managers
- Peer-review workflow management
- Issue and article publication system
- Article metadata management
- DOI and indexing support
- Custom journal website design
- Multi-language support
- Open-access publishing support
- Long-term archive management
Step 1: Decide the Journal Scope and Subject Area
Before installing OJS, the first step is to define your journal’s aim and scope. This is the foundation of your journal. You should clearly decide what type of research your journal will publish.
For example, your journal may focus on engineering, medical science, management, social science, computer science, education, law, humanities, or multidisciplinary research.
Your scope should clearly explain:
- The subject areas covered by the journal
- The type of articles accepted
- The target audience
- The academic purpose of the journal
- The publication frequency
A clear scope helps authors understand whether their paper is suitable for your journal or not.
Step 2: Choose the Journal Name and ISSN
The journal name should be professional, clear, and related to your subject area. Avoid names that are too similar to existing journals because this may create confusion for authors and indexing agencies.
After finalizing the journal title, you should apply for an ISSN. ISSN stands for International Standard Serial Number. It is an important identity number for journals and serial publications.
You may need separate ISSNs for online and print versions if your journal is available in both formats.
Step 3: Build an Editorial Board
A strong editorial board improves the credibility of your journal. Your editorial board should include qualified academic experts, researchers, and professionals from the relevant subject area.
The editorial board is responsible for maintaining publication quality, reviewing policies, handling submissions, and guiding the journal’s academic direction.
Your journal website should display the names, affiliations, designations, and country details of editorial board members.
Step 4: Prepare Journal Policies
Every academic journal must have transparent policies. These policies help authors, reviewers, readers, and indexing agencies understand how the journal works.
Important journal policies include:
- Aims and Scope
- Peer Review Policy
- Publication Ethics
- Plagiarism Policy
- Open Access Policy
- Copyright and Licensing Policy
- Article Processing Charges Policy
- Withdrawal Policy
- Correction and Retraction Policy
- Archiving Policy
Clear policies are also important for indexing and long-term trust.
Step 5: Install and Configure OJS
Once your journal planning is ready, you can install Open Journal Systems on your hosting server. OJS requires proper server configuration, database setup, file permissions, email configuration, and secure installation.
After installation, you need to configure:
- Journal title and description
- Journal logo and theme
- Contact details
- Submission settings
- Review workflow
- Email templates
- User roles
- Publication settings
- Plugins and tools
For non-technical publishers, managed OJS services can save time and reduce technical issues.
Step 6: Customize the Journal Website
Your journal website is the first impression for authors and readers. A clean, fast, and mobile-friendly design builds trust.
Your OJS website should include:
- Homepage with journal introduction
- About the Journal page
- Editorial Board page
- Current Issue page
- Archives page
- Submission Guidelines
- Author Guidelines
- Publication Ethics
- Contact page
A professional OJS theme makes the journal easier to navigate and improves user experience.
Step 7: Set Up the Submission Workflow
OJS allows authors to submit manuscripts directly through the journal website. The editor can then assign reviewers, communicate with authors, request revisions, and approve articles for publication.
A proper workflow helps avoid confusion and keeps all communication inside the system.
The basic workflow includes:
- Author submits manuscript
- Editor checks submission
- Reviewer evaluates the paper
- Author submits revision if needed
- Editor makes final decision
- Article moves to copyediting and production
- Final article is published online
Step 8: Publish Your First Issue
After articles are accepted and prepared, you can create your first issue in OJS. You can publish articles as part of a complete issue or use continuous publication depending on your journal model.
Each article should have complete metadata, including title, author details, abstract, keywords, references, PDF file, and DOI if applicable.
Good metadata helps search engines, indexing databases, and readers discover your articles easily.
Step 9: Focus on Indexing and Visibility
Publishing articles is only one part of journal management. You also need to improve the visibility of your journal.
To improve reach, you should work on:
- Google Scholar indexing
- Crossref DOI registration
- Metadata quality
- XML sitemap
- SEO-friendly article pages
- Regular publication schedule
- Social media sharing
- Academic directories
For Indian academic publishing, journal selection rules have changed. UGC discontinued the UGC-CARE journal listing from February 2025 and introduced suggestive parameters for choosing peer-reviewed journals. Publishers should now focus more strongly on transparent peer review, editorial quality, publication ethics, and proper journal governance. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Step 10: Maintain Quality and Transparency
A journal becomes successful when it publishes quality research consistently. Avoid shortcuts such as fake indexing claims, instant acceptance, weak peer review, or unclear charges.
Authors trust journals that are transparent, ethical, and professionally managed.
Make sure your journal follows:
- Proper peer review
- Clear publication timeline
- Original research standards
- Plagiarism checking
- Transparent charges
- Correct author communication
- Regular website maintenance
How OJSCloud Can Help
Starting and maintaining an OJS journal can be difficult if you do not have technical experience. From installation to theme customization, plugin setup, DOI configuration, email setup, backups, security, and upgrades, every step needs proper attention.
OJSCloud helps journals, publishers, universities, and societies launch and manage professional OJS websites. Whether you want to start a new journal or improve an existing OJS website, expert support can make the process faster and safer.
OJSCloud services can help with:
- OJS installation and setup
- OJS theme customization
- Journal website design
- OJS upgrade and migration
- Plugin configuration
- DOI and Crossref setup
- Email and SMTP configuration
- Security and backup support
- Performance optimization
- Technical maintenance
Final Thoughts
Starting a journal with Open Journal Systems is a smart choice for academic publishers who want a professional and scalable publishing platform. However, success depends on more than software. You need a strong editorial team, clear policies, ethical workflow, good website design, and regular publication quality.
With the right planning and proper OJS setup, your journal can become a reliable platform for researchers, authors, and readers.
If you are planning to start a new journal or upgrade your existing OJS website, OJSCloud can help you build a professional, secure, and user-friendly journal publishing platform.