Open Journal Systems, is an open-source software application used for managing and publishing scholarly journals. Developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), OJS assists with every stage of the refereed publishing process, from submissions through to online publication and indexing. It offers a comprehensive workflow management system for editors, authors, and reviewers, including features for submission tracking, peer review, editorial management, and publishing. OJS is widely used by academic institutions, researchers, and journal publishers around the world to streamline the journal publication process and ensure a smooth, efficient workflow.
In the subsequent section, we will show the steps for installing the OJS package.
Step-1: Download & Install PHP
because OJS runs on PHP. It is a well-known scripting language. To download the latest PHP, kindly click on the link: Direct Download Link:https://windows.php.net/download#php-8.2
Note: OJS 3.3.0-13 runs on PHP 7.2 & above. The given link will direct you to the latest version PHP 8.2.1.
Click on the above-given link to open the new webpage as shown below screenshot. Click on “No thanks, just start my download.” The installer file will be downloaded. Open that file and do as directed.
Download MySQL
Note: MySQL is an open-source database. OJS needs MySQL 4.1 and above. So, always download the latest version. Eventually, this step will direct you to the latest version of MySQL Installer 8.0.32.
Install OJS in the web server where three prerequisites (MySQL, PHP & Apache) have been installed. Extract the folder “OJS 3.3.0 tar.gz” into the web server at the appropriate directory location.
Locate the following files:
config.inc.php
public
cache
cache/t_cache
cache/t_config
cache/t_compile
cache/_dbMake the above file write ready by changing the owner “chown” or changing the permission “chmod”
Copy the link http://yourjournal.com/path/to/ojs/ and paste it in a web browser. You will be directed to the on-screen installation steps. Follow it properly.
To install OJS 3.3.0-13, please consult with experts by clicking the button below.
Installing OJS 3.3.0-13 is a straightforward process that, with careful attention to detail, can be accomplished with relative ease. By following the steps outlined in this guide—preparing your server environment, downloading and extracting the OJS package, setting up your database, and configuring the application—you’ll be well on your way to launching a fully functional scholarly journal management system. With OJS 3.3.0-13, you can streamline the editorial workflow, enhance the visibility of your journal, and provide a seamless experience for authors, reviewers, and readers. Happy publishing!
Looking to start an open-access journal or to publish in open-access journals? The Open Journal System (OJS) is a powerful tool that can simplify and streamline the publishing process. In this comprehensive guide, we will demystify the OJS, providing researchers and publishers with the knowledge they need to navigate this popular platform.
With over 10,000 journals currently using the OJS, understanding its features and functionalities is essential for anyone looking to publish scholarly articles. From submitting manuscripts to peer review to publication, the OJS offers a seamless and user-friendly experience.
In this guide, we will walk you through the entire process, starting with an overview of the OJS and its benefits. We will explain how to set up an account, submit your manuscript, and navigate the peer review process. Additionally, we will explore the various customization options available to publishers, ensuring your journal stands out.
Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or new to the publishing world, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools to effectively utilize the Open Journal System (OJS). Let’s unlock the potential of OJS and get your research out into the world.
Benefits of using the Open Journal System
The Open Journal System (OJS) offers numerous benefits for researchers and publishers alike.
Firstly, it provides a platform for open-access publishing, allowing your research to reach a wider audience. By making your articles freely available, you can increase their visibility and impact.
Secondly, the OJS streamlines the publishing process. It provides a centralized system for manuscript submission, peer review, and publication. This eliminates the need for traditional, time-consuming processes, such as mailing physical copies of manuscripts. With the OJS, everything can be done online, saving time and resources.
Lastly, the OJS offers a robust archiving system. Once your articles are published, they are stored in a secure and easily accessible database. This ensures the long-term preservation and availability of your research even if the journal website goes out of service.
Overall, the benefits of using the Open Journal System are clear. It provides a reliable archiving solution. Let’s now explore the features of the OJS in more detail.
Features of the Open Journal System
The Open Journal System (OJS) is packed with features designed to enhance the publishing experience. One of its key features is the manuscript submission system. Researchers can easily create an account, upload their manuscripts, and track the progress of their submissions. This system provides transparency and allows authors to stay informed throughout the publication process.
Another notable feature of the OJS is its robust peer review system. The platform facilitates the review process by allowing editors to assign reviewers, track their progress, and manage feedback. Reviewers can access the manuscripts online, making the process more efficient and convenient.
The OJS also offers comprehensive publishing tools. Once an article is accepted, publishers can easily format and publish it on the platform. The system supports various file formats, ensuring compatibility with different types of content. Additionally, publishers can customize the appearance of their journal, giving it a unique and professional look.
In addition to these features, the OJS provides a range of administrative tools. Journal managers can easily track submissions, assign roles to team members, and manage the entire publishing workflow. This centralized system simplifies the management process and ensures efficient collaboration among team members.
Setting up the Open Journal System
Setting up the Open Journal System (OJS) is a little complex process. So, it is advisable to choose a service provider that offers OJS hosting.
In case you want to set up OJS manually, then you can start by buying appropriate hosting. Once you have chosen a hosting option, you can proceed with the installation process. The OJS provides detailed documentation and installation guides to help you through the process. It typically involves downloading the software, configuring the server, and setting up the database.
After the installation is complete, you can start customizing your journal. The OJS allows you to create a unique look and feel for your journal by customizing the theme, logo, and colors. You can also configure settings related to user registration, submission guidelines, and publication workflows. Alternatively, you can go for the ready OJS theme available with the OJS service providers. Click Here to buy OJS theme>>
With the basic setup complete, you can now start accepting manuscript submissions. The OJS provides a submission form where authors can enter their article details, upload files, and provide any additional information. As the journal manager, you can easily review and manage these submissions through the OJS dashboard.
Once your journal is up and running, you can focus on managing submissions and navigating the peer review process.
Customizing the Open Journal System for your journal
One of the advantages of using the Open Journal System (OJS) is the ability to customize it according to your journal’s specific needs. The OJS offers a range of customization options that allow you to create a unique and professional journal.
Firstly, you can customize the visual appearance of your journal by selecting a theme and modifying the colors and fonts. The OJS provides a variety of pre-designed themes to choose from, or you can create your custom theme. This customization option allows you to align your journal’s visual identity with your brand or organization.
Secondly, you can customize the submission process to fit your journal’s requirements. The OJS allows you to define submission guidelines, specify required fields, and set up a submission workflow. This customization ensures that authors provide all the necessary information and follow the submission process specific to your journal.
Additionally, you can customize the peer review process in the OJS. You can define review criteria, assign reviewers, and set deadlines for review completion. This customization allows you to tailor the peer review process to meet the specific needs of your journal and ensure timely and thorough reviews.
Furthermore, the OJS allows you to customize the publication process. You can define publication workflows, set up article templates, and configure article metadata. This customization ensures that the articles published in your journal are formatted consistently and meet the necessary standards.
Managing submissions and peer review process in the Open Journal System
The Open Journal System (OJS) provides a user-friendly interface for managing submissions and the peer review process. As a journal manager, you have full control over the entire workflow, from submission to publication.
When a manuscript is submitted, you can easily access it through the OJS dashboard. The system provides a clear overview of all submissions, allowing you to track their progress and manage them efficiently. You can assign reviewers, track their progress, and manage the feedback they provide.
The OJS streamlines the peer review process by providing a platform for communication between authors, reviewers, and editors. Reviewers can access the manuscript online, making it easy for them to read, annotate, and provide feedback. Authors can respond to reviewers’ comments and make revisions directly within the OJS.
As a journal manager, you have the authority to make decisions based on reviewers’ recommendations. The OJS provides a simple interface for making editorial decisions, such as accepting, rejecting, or requesting revisions for a manuscript. Once a decision is made, you can communicate it to the authors through the system.
During the entire process, OJS meticulously records all activities and facilitates transparent editorial decisions. This guarantees accountability in the peer review process, enabling the generation of reports and collection of data for analysis and decision-making. These log reports play a crucial role when applying to prominent indexing agencies such as SCOPUS, WOS, PubMed, and others.
Managing submissions and the peer review process in the Open Journal System is made easy and efficient. The system provides all the necessary tools and features to streamline the workflow and ensure a smooth publication process. Now that you have successfully managed the peer review process, let’s explore how to publish and archive articles in the OJS.
Publishing and archiving articles in the Open Journal System
Publishing and archiving articles in the Open Journal System (OJS) is a seamless process that ensures the accessibility and long-term preservation of your research.
Once a manuscript has completed the peer review process, it is ready for publication. The OJS provides a user-friendly interface for publishing articles. You can easily format the manuscript according to the journal’s guidelines and convert it into a publishable format, such as PDF or HTML.
The OJS allows you to assign DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) to your articles. DOIs are unique identifiers that provide a persistent link to your articles, ensuring their long-term accessibility. This allows readers to easily cite and reference your articles, increasing their visibility and impact.
Furthermore, the OJS provides a comprehensive archiving system. Once an article is published, it is stored in a secure and easily accessible database. The OJS supports various archiving standards, ensuring the long-term preservation and availability of your research. This archiving system ensures that your articles remain accessible even if the journal undergoes any changes or transitions.
The OJS allows you to create article collections or special issues. This feature enables you to organize related articles and showcase them as a curated collection. It also allows you to highlight important research or topics within your journal.
Promoting your journal using the Open Journal System
Promoting your journal is essential for increasing its visibility and attracting authors and readers. The Open Journal System (OJS) offers various features and tools to help you effectively promote your journal and reach a wider audience.
Firstly, the OJS allows you to create a journal website that showcases your journal and its content. You can customize the website’s design and layout to align with your journal’s brand or organization. Additionally, you can create sections on the website to highlight important articles, news, or announcements.
Secondly, the OJS provides a range of indexing and discovery options. You can register your journal with indexing services, such as DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) or Google Scholar. This increases the visibility of your journal and allows it to be discovered by researchers and readers worldwide.
Furthermore, the OJS supports social media integration. You can easily share articles, announcements, or updates from your journal on social media platforms. This enables you to reach a wider audience and engage with potential authors and readers.
The OJS also offers email notifications and alerts. You can set up automated email notifications to inform authors about the status of their submissions or to notify readers about new articles or issues. This keeps authors and readers engaged and informed, increasing their involvement with your journal.
Additionally, the OJS provides usage statistics and analytics. You can track the number of article views, downloads, or citations to assess the impact and reach of your journal. This data can help you make informed decisions about your journal’s promotion and development.
Common challenges and solutions in using the Open Journal System
While the Open Journal System (OJS) offers numerous benefits and features, there can be challenges in using the platform. However, with the right knowledge and solutions, these challenges can be overcome.
One common challenge is the initial setup and installation of the OJS. For those new to the platform, it may seem daunting to configure the server, set up the database, and customize the journal. However, there are dedicated OJS hosting and service providers like us (www.ojscloud.com) where you can seek support.
Another challenge is managing the peer review process efficiently. With multiple submissions and reviewers, it can be challenging to track the progress and ensure timely reviews. To overcome this challenge, it is important to establish clear communication channels with reviewers and set clear expectations and deadlines. Additionally, utilizing the features of the OJS, such as automated reminders and notifications, can help streamline the process.
Furthermore, promoting the journal and attracting authors and readers can be a challenge. With numerous journals available, it can be difficult to stand out and gain recognition. To overcome this challenge, it is important to create a unique and professional website, register with indexing services, and leverage social media and email notifications to increase visibility.
Lastly, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the journal can be a challenge. Journals may face financial constraints or changes in editorial teams. To overcome this challenge, it is important to explore funding options, establish partnerships with institutions or organizations, and regularly review and update your journal’s policies and workflows.
Conclusion
This guide explores the Open Journal System (OJS) and its advantages for researchers and publishers. OJS provides a user-friendly platform for open-access publishing, streamlining processes, and offering robust archiving. We’ve highlighted benefits such as increased visibility, simplified workflows, and reliable archiving. The guide covers OJS features like manuscript submission, peer review, and customizable publishing tools. It includes a step-by-step setup guide, addressing common challenges with solutions. Whether you’re an experienced researcher or new to publishing, OJS provides a powerful platform to share your research globally.
Open Journal Systems (OJS) is an open-source software that is widely used for managing and publishing scholarly journals. OJS provides a flexible and customizable platform that allows editors, reviewers, authors, and readers to collaborate and share their research in a streamlined and accessible manner. However, to use OJS effectively, it is essential to understand the server requirements and other technical considerations involved in setting up and maintaining the software.
In this blog, we will explore the OJS server requirements, including the necessary components and optional considerations such as OJS themes, OJS hosting, and PKP OJS themes. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of how to install, configure, and customize OJS to meet your journal’s unique needs. In case you know about the OJS in detail, then read the section below, otherwise, skip it.
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.
OJS Server Requirements
The OJS software has several technical requirements that must be met to install and run the system effectively. Some of the most important requirements include:
– Web Server:
The first requirement for OJS is a web server that can host the software. Apache, Nginx, and IIS are some of the most popular web servers used with OJS. The web server should support PHP 7. x or later versions and have a MySQL or PostgreSQL database management system.
– PHP Modules:
OJS relies on several PHP modules to function correctly, including PDO, PDO_MySQL, GD, XML, and mastering. The PHP modules can be installed using the package manager or manually by adding the modules to the PHP configuration file.
– Disk Space:
OJS requires sufficient disk space to store the software, data, and backups. The amount of disk space needed will depend on the size of the journal and the amount of content it publishes. A good rule of thumb is to allocate at least 1 GB of disk space for a small journal, while larger journals may need several GB of disk space.
Command Line Interface (CLI):
The OJS system requires access to the command line interface (CLI) to perform tasks such as upgrading the system and running scheduled tasks. The CLI should be enabled on the server and accessible to the user who will be administering the OJS system.
– SSL Certificate:
OJS can be accessed over HTTP or HTTPS protocols. However, it is recommended to use HTTPS to ensure the security of user data and communications. To enable HTTPS, you will need to obtain and install a valid SSL certificate for the domain where the OJS system is hosted.
These are the basic technical requirements for installing and running OJS. However, there are also many optional components and considerations that can enhance the functionality and usability of the system. Let’s explore some of these options below.
OJS Themes
One of the most significant advantages of OJS is its ability to customize the look and feel of the journal using themes. OJS provides several built-in themes that can be customized to match the journal’s branding and design requirements. However, there are also many third-party themes available from the PKP website and other sources.
To use a third-party theme, you will need to ensure that it is compatible with your version of OJS and that you have the necessary permissions and skills to customize and maintain it. Many themes require some technical expertise to install and configure, so it is essential to seek help from experienced OJS users or support providers if needed.
There are also many commercial OJS Themes available that offer more advanced features and customization options. These themes are typically easier to install and come with dedicated support and documentation. However, they may also involve additional costs and licensing fees, depending on the provider.
OJS Hosting
Another important consideration when setting up OJS is the hosting environment. While OJS can be installed on a local server or virtual machine, many journals choose to use a hosting service that specializes in OJS. These hosting providers offer pre-configured server environments that are optimized for OJS, ensuring high performance and reliability.
OJS hosting providers typically offer different levels of service, from basic shared hosting plans to dedicated server options. The choice of the hosting plan will depend on the size and complexity of the journal and the expected traffic and usage patterns. Some hosting providers also offer managed-to-host plans that include ongoing maintenance and support for the OJS system, reducing the burden on journal editors and administrators.
When choosing an OJS Hosting provider, it is essential to consider several factors, including server specifications, uptime guarantees, security measures, backup and recovery options, and technical support. It is also a good idea to read reviews and ask for recommendations from other OJS users to ensure that you choose a reputable and reliable hosting provider.
PKP OJS Themes
Finally, it is worth mentioning the PKP OJS themes, which are a set of themes developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), the organization that created and maintains the OJS software. The PKP OJS themes are designed to be highly customizable and are built using modern web technologies such as HTML5 and CSS3.
The PKP OJS themes include several pre-built themes that can be easily customized using a web-based theme editor or by modifying the theme files directly. The themes are designed to be responsive, ensuring that the journal content is accessible and readable on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
In addition to the pre-built themes, the PKP OJS themes also provide a theme development framework that allows developers to create custom themes from scratch. The framework includes a set of reusable components and styles that can be used to build highly customized and unique themes.
Conclusion
In summary, OJS is a powerful and flexible software that can help journals manage and publish their content online. However, to use OJS effectively, it is essential to understand the technical requirements and considerations involved in setting up and maintaining the software. These requirements include the web server, PHP modules, disk space, command line interface, and SSL certificate.
Additionally, there are many optional components and considerations, such as OJS themes, OJS hosting, and PKP OJS themes, that can enhance the functionality and usability of the system. By taking the time to understand and implement these components effectively, journals can create a professional and engaging online presence that enhances their reputation and visibility in the academic community.
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.
Why is OJS so popular?
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.
PKP OJS
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.
OJS user-friendly UI/UX
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.
Are you looking for new journal hosting on OJS? Book a free Consultation.
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.
You might have often heard the group of words “open accessjournal publishing” if you are related to the education or research field. Nowadays, people talk about the free resources for knowledge as the Internet makes the normal human being very addicted to knowing something new. Earlier, the knowledgeable contents were not free to access, but now people understand the power of making this content free for the general population.
These opening remarks lead us to the question: How can we answer the question? What is open access journal publishing? or what is an open-access journal? So, tighten your seatbelt; I will take you on a ride in the deep sea of the open-access world.
So, What is Open Access?
Anything which doesn’t require any prior permission, license, subscription, or fee payment is called open access. In simple language, the content which is open access is free to consume. In other words, you can say that it is a way of conveying information (in digital form) free of cost via the Internet.
For example, when you surf the Internet for knowledge hunting, you find two kinds of web pages. The first type may ask for a payment, some authentication, or a subscription to allow you to access the content. The second type doesn’t ask for fees or a subscription but directly allows you to access the content. The latter type is called open-access content.
Open-access word is much more prevalent in research publications or scholarly literature. The scholarly articles are open access and can be accessed without any payment over the Internet. The primary form factor of open-access content is digital, which is accessible on the Internet. The subsequent section will focus on the purpose of open access, which will clarify your understanding.
What is the purpose of open accessjournal publishing?
The primary purpose of open access journal publishing is to maximize the availability of research documentation, usually in research articles, book reviews, book chapters, or recorded communication regarding novel fact findings. The idea of open access journal publishing has erupted from the matured understandings which emphasize the belief that knowledge gained from public efforts must be freely accessible. It will not be cliche to say that publishing open-access content is a noble cause and indirectly affects millions.
What are the types of open access journal publishing or mode of open access journal publishing?
It has been divided into three categories. Each has been explained below;
Green Open Access
This mode of open access is closely coupled with the author’s intention. Intention means; whether authors are willing to put/archive their accepted research article(s) to their institutional repositories or other open-access sites. This arrangement empowers the authors to make the last version of their research paper available, even though it has been published in subscription-based journals.
Gold Open Access
This mode may give you a setback after knowing that it involves some form of cost to authors for open publishing access. However, this may provide immediate online access to the published article on the publisher’s website. Publishers following this mode demand payment as processing charges. In this mode, the author must assign the publishers a copyright.
Hybrid Open Access
This mode involves the working principle from the above-discussed categories. An author can put their contents in open-access journals for availing to other readers.
I think you are well aware of “open access.” So, without wasting much time, let’s jump into the core part of this blog, which is all about open-access journals & open-access journal publishing.
What is an open-access journal?
Don’t expect any contradictory definition of the real meaning of open access. To define this term, rewrite the term as “open access to the journal.” You will have the definition automatically by putting the meaning of open access in the first place and the meaning of journal in the second place. Still, if you are confused, read the paragraph below for the exact words.
Definition of open access journal: Journals (collections of well-formatted and expert-reviewed research articles written by academics, research scholars, industry experts, or professors) that do not require any prerequisite (in the form of paid subscription or license) for accessing the inside articles are called open-access journals or open access journal publishing
Journals having open access are not just free to read. Instead, the contents of such journals are also immune from most copyright and licensing restrictions. Anyone can have the reference of these articles for their future works.
Open access journal publishing contents are open to all research communities and normal human beings. You are not required to purchase a subscription or any special license to access the published research articles in such journals. The most beautiful thing about these categories of journals is that they are “free.”
open access journal publishing contents were not very popular as there were no dedicated online infrastructures. Journals were in print form only. However, after the entrance of the Internet, many publishers have developed open access journal publishing websites. open access journal publishing contents can be accessed by anyone having a good internet connection. So, you might be clear now that this is a very generous arrangement to accelerate the research and development by subtracting the cost hurdles.
Recently, research funding agencies (mainly controlled by the national administration) are compressing researchers to make their findings open because the funding received from tax money should be reverted with positive outcomes.
What is the purpose of open access journal?
Researchers from many countries across the globe do not have the same financial support to afford the high subscription rates of closed-access journals. Due to this limitation, many good research scholars find it difficult to access others’ scholarly content and their relevant fields’ novel findings. In the research world, the word “reference” matters a lot. By referring to others’ research work, researchers can get handsome help in their tasks.
To overcome the above-cited problem, open access journal publishing has emerged. This journal believes that knowledge derived from public funding must be freely accessible to all researchers. The other reason open access journal publishing gained popularity is that publicly funded research works become very easy to access. The statement, as mentioned earlier, makes them more likely to be downloaded, read, and cited.
What is the importance of open access journal publishing?
What we are today is only and only due to research, directly or indirectly—for example, our great fathers used to eat raw meat for survival. Still, eventually, medical science evolved, and via rigorous research/observations, we concluded that cooked stuff is way more beneficial to the human body and easy to digest. This is just a small example of the impact of research on human life. I can write a whole essay on this.
By the above discussion, there is no doubt that research is a nonneglectable part of our life to make our routine life more sustainable and prosperous. So, the journal’s open access brings this even further by allowing free access to research articles.
For most junior-level researchers, open access journal publishing allows them to take advantage of published scholarly work from experienced and expert researchers around the globe.
From the author’s point of view, an article published in open access journal publishing gets more attention from citations worldwide as it is open to all. This also works as a motivation factor for contributing more in relevant fields. Furthermore, a higher number of citations can lead to a swelling number of inter researchers’ communication, making it even more fruitful for new directions.
How can I find open access journal publishing websites?
Online directories are available to find open access journal publishing relevant to your research fields. These directories have a well-organized list of the journal with all details of volume and issues. However, make sure about the indexing status of these journals before publishing your articles. These directories will work as a one-stop solution for finding open access journal publishing websites. Famous players of this game are:
What are the open-access journals which have no publication fee for authors?
Finding an open-access journal that publishes the article for free is very tough and time-consuming. However, you may find such open-access journals via ISI . In ISI, you will have all journals’ categories. First, select the journals of your concern field and get the publisher details. Then, insert this publisher detail in BEALL’S LIST . While researching this type of journal, please read the authors’ section carefully. By this methodology, you might find a journal that accepts free publication.
Enter your discipline or keywords in the Search box to search for journal titles.
On the results page, choose “Without article processing charges (APCs)” on the left.
Who can start open-access journal publishing?
Any individual, institution, organization, NGO, national body, group of individuals or academician can start their open-access journal. There are no such difficult criteria to the full fill as a prerequisite for establishing the new open-access journals. The only requirement is that you have will power to start it; resources needed for the journal will be automatically prompted in front of you.
Would you like to start your own journal? Click here to make your journal website live in 2 weeks.
What is the process of starting a new open-access journal?
To start a new open-access journal, you need basic things, which I have listed below in a step-by-step manner. If you acquire all these details well in advance, then any journal hosting service provider can establish your journal in 2-3 weeks. However, ISSN and indexing can take much time, depending upon which country you are in. So read each step carefully.
Finding out the name of the journal and the area of research.
Obtain the ISSN for the journal.
Find an excellent editorial team.
Automated website with SMS, email support, and online publication.
Define all policies about an open journal system.
Licensing and indexing open journal system.
Advertise your journal.
Is there any open-source platform for open-access journals?
One world-renowned open-source platform is the “open journal system (OJS).” This platform allows anyone to start their journal website with readily available journal architecture and workflow. This platform already hosts more than 25000 open access journals. So, if you host your journal on this platform, you will get free popularity along with the overall workflow per the guidelines of leading indexing agencies like SCOPUS.
OJS allows us to manage, review, and organize all scientific content for later publication. Everything is handled by an editor located in servers to manage the contents better. It is also a system that helps to train people so that they can step by step assemble their journals in a very professional way. This is also important if you consider all the guidelines by Scopus and WOS. All these are the protocols to follow to take a scientific journal from 0 to publication and its ISSN.
What if I don’t know about the journal website development on OJS?
Don’t worry; all the researchers need not know the website development technologies like HTML, CSS, Javascript, etc. Researchers from non-IT backgrounds may find this task difficult.
To overcome the above-cited problem, you may hire a tech company with expertise in open journal system (OJS) hosting and setup. However, you need to pay the relevant remuneration. In addition, these service providers often offer fully customized OJS themes, which can make your journal website stand out from the crowd. On the contrary, you need to pay hefty charges for these add-ons. If you are not ready to pay an additional amount, you can go for the default OJS themes.
Conclusion:
To summarize, I would say that the open-access movement is a blessing for the research community worldwide. Publishing your article in open-access journals can attract more attention from other researchers. All in all, open-access journals can contribute a lot to improving human life. In my opinion, all academicians should start their journals alone or in a group.
The Internet has disrupted our life, specifically in “How we access information?”. Open access journal is not immune to this groundbreaking innovation. Research is a field that is largely affected by the WWW. Documentation of the novel findings or alteration suggestions in existing findings is changed entirely. Open Journal System (OJS) has provided tremendous capabilities to its user for establishing the open access journal website in 2-3 weeks.
OJS & Internet
Entry of the OJS into the WWW makes the research digitization very efficient and manageable. As a result, many like to have these research articles at their fingertips, which means in the form of journal websites, specifically open-access journals. Access to research documentation in the form of a research article has become much easier than 10 years ago.
Research & Innovation
Therefore, we cannot overlook the open access journal’s website performance and features. In this blog, I would like to discuss the most important features provided by Open Journal System (OJS) to host open access journal websites.
Before moving into the discussion, I would like to spare some time for the elephant in the room, an “open access journal.” If you are new to the research world, you might not have heard about this group of words before. So, please read the below section to understand the background theory well so that advanced learnings become very easy.
What is an open access journal?
Anything which doesn’t require any prior permission, license, subscription, or fee payment is called open access. The same phenomenon is applied to put this into the perspective of open-access journals.
Open Access Journals
Open access journals are open to all research communities and normal human beings. To access the published research articles in such journals, you are not required to purchase a subscription or any special license. The most beautiful thing about these categories of journals is that they are “free.”
Note: Open-access journals are free for readers; however, they can charge some amount for publishing the articles.
Open Access Journal
Open access journals were not very popular as there were no dedicated online infrastructures. Journals were in print form only. However, after the entrance of the Internet, many publishers have developed open-access journal websites. In continuation, I would add that Open Journal System (OJS) is a robust open-sourced platform to establish such open access journals website quickly.
Open-access journals website can be accessed by anyone having a good internet connection. So, you might be clear now that this is a very generous arrangement to accelerate the research and development by subtracting the cost hurdles.
Top Features of the Open Journal System (OJS):
1. Efficient OJS Themes:
With the recent upgrade, OJS has ready-to-use themes with endless color options. These themes are not just about looks but also agile in performance. These themes will allow you to set up your journal website quickly. Drag and drop facility is there for you in case you need to be made aware of HTML and CSS. Earlier themes were not easy to change as they required many template files. A recent upgrade has solved this problem by making template files stand alone. Get exciting OJS Themes
Apart from the basic layout, the latest OJS allows customizing the theme per the individual test and requirements. Many OJS hosting service providers are available who can help you make your journal website more interactive and user-friendly with full customization.
2. Responsive Nature of OJS Theme
As mobile phone becomes the mode of internet access, the OJS website is no exception. Many researchers love accessing such websites via mobile phones, tablets, or handheld devices. These devices are of different screen sizes. So to put this variable display environment, OJS has provided responsive layout themes.
3. Fragmented and Bifurcated stepwise procedure
The entire workflow has been divided into small parts, making it easy to work with and manage. Primarily this division consists of Accommodation {where novel requirements are entertained by affirmation or negation}, Survey {where peers check the content and revert to the creators so that they can edit the content} and Copyediting{where foreseen contents are stored for the final revision and ready to enter into the production}.
The great thing about the above-discussed steps is that each step can be accessed individually and left to visit, which means jumping the sequence. This edition allows you to enroll the creator at any step for proper correction.
4. Dynamic User Swap
Generally, software systems are of a nature in which they do not allow the user role to change without reentering the credentials. OJS, on the other hand, allows you to change the user if you have logged in with the master credentials. This facility is very convenient for changing roles and doing tasks with rapid response. For example, you can become a reviewer and journal manager in one login. You do not require to log out from the system to change the role.
5. Interaction regarding publication
As you know, OJS has divided the entire journal management task into various stages: Accommodation, Survey, copyediting, and production. The different user roles can collaborate via a simple messaging system during this phase. Apart from this, robust email facilities are also there for logging activity status. Peers can review each other’s work and comment also. This facility ensures that each stakeholder can take an interest in all activities. This is possible only and only due to the OJS new theme advancement.
6. Simple Registration
Enrolling in a new user’suser’s biome is very easy with this upgrade. The new registration form includes very few and extremely important fields to be filled in by the user. The user with no extra information can fill out this form. It can be submitted with handy or memorized basic information. After the form submission, new clients are informed via well formatted prescribed email.
7. Easy Task Assignment Mechanism
Another significant benefit of OJS is that you can swap between two different users who are experts. Swapping is straightforward, and configuration options are available in the left sidebar. As a result, it has made the assignment of dual obligations easier.
Upgrade to the latest OJS 3.3.0-13 for New Features
You might be running a journal website on old OJS, so you might not have the new features. I request you upgrade your OJS to the latest OJS 3.3.0-13. Ensure you take enough care during the upgrade because an OJS upgrade is complex and demands expertise. One should take a full system backup before upgrading because sometimes the upgrade may go wrong, and data can be lost. If possible, then higher experts for OJS upgrade.
We at OJSCloud provide end to end hosting solutions for open access journal on OJS.
To wind up the discussion, I would definitely rate the current OJS version along with the discussed features on the higher side of the weight scale, as it provides extraordinary functionalities for the user. All the discussed functionality make the journal management task very efficient. I recommend upgrading to this version to maximize the new features.
Open Journal System (OJS) is an open-source software, developed by Public Knowledge Project (PKP). This journal management system gaining enormous popularity in the last 7-8 years. Many research scholars and renowned institutes throughout the world use this open-source software for accessing open-access journals. It would not be cliche to cite here that the Open Journal System is the home of more than 10000 open-accessjournals.
So, by looking at its serving volume and popularity it is in the list of giant software systems like Dspace. Looking at this giant software architecture it definitely requires the addition of new features in form of upgrades.
This article will answer all your queries regarding the Open Journal System (OJS) upgrade, and throw light on the importance of upgrading the Open Journal System (OJS) version along with the upgrade procedure of Open Journal System (OJS). So, tighten your seat belt and have an exciting journey in the world of Open Journal System (OJS) upgrades.
So, What is Open Journal System (OJS) upgrade?
OJS Upgrade is a process of migrating from the older version to the latest version, to make the hosted websites function very well in the area of security, reliability, responsiveness, GUI, and communication.
The main focus of the upgrade procedure is always better security and reliability. Shortly, you can say that this is the exercise to keep the system up to date for upcoming challenges and demands.
Click below to book an appointment for an OJS upgrade.
Why upgrade is necessary for the Open Journal System (OJS)?
As we know that software is a thing that cannot be delivered in one go. The software requires constant feedback from the possessors or relevant user communities. The upgrade is very important for any software system in order to keep on user engagement for a longer period.
For Security
The most important aspect of upgrading any software is security concerns. Security is the most talked about topic in recent eras as far as World Wide Web (WWW) is concerned.
As your software grows in terms of active user base it also grabs the attention of the dark web practitioners, known as crackers (unethical hackers). As discussed in the preamble of this article, OJS is gaining popularity as the research industry grows. It has more than 10000 active open-access journals. Many hosted journals involve financial transactions for publishing work. So the risk is very high if the system is not up to date. In order to make the system tough enough it required frequent care in analyzing the threats and effective protection against them.
For New Functionality
As time passes by the user of the system needs something extra from the existing system. Adding new features which were not there at the time of the earlier version release, requires frequent upgrades. Such upgrades increase the usability of the system at a very rapid pace.
For Website Performance
As the number of users and data grows, it hinders the overall performance of the hosted journal websites. Nowadays, nobody like slow software which takes more than 5 seconds to load the pages. If your system keeps on underperforming in the area of response time, that might happen you will lose your user base. To make it responsive OJS keeps on upgrading its structure and tries to make it optimized.
For Efficient GUI
As Open Journal System (OJS) is not software that is only developed for information technocrats, it has a larger user base from a nontechnical background as well, like the Field of Medicine, Field of Education, etc. Such nontechnical use needs a user-friendly and nonredundant Graphical User Interface, which makes their relevant task very easy. Such efficient GUI required rigorous efforts and frequent upgrades to the system based on user experience and feedback.
For enhanced Compatibility
Open Journal System (OJS) setup is server intensive job. Simply speaking, Open Journal System (OJS) needs to talk with the server environment frequently. The technology used on the server side keeps on upgrading very often. To match the steps with such a frequently upgrading server environment Open Journal System (OJS) itself requires to be up to date.
What care should be taken during the Open Journal System (OJS) upgrade?
Upgrading Open Journal System (OJS) is not as easy as upgrading a WordPress website. This upgrade procedure just does not involve clicking a single “upgrade” button. It is an expert task and needs extra care before going for the step. There is a scope of marginal error that can ruin your hard work by corrupting structural files or publishing articles. To avoid any mishap, the below-listed area must be taken into account while upgrading.
Complete backup of database and essential files.
Selection of correct timings, as it might take 1-2 days.
Making aware the users for not accepting any workflow during the upgrade.
Post-upgrade testing and troubleshooting.
Open Journal System (OJS) login must be disabled to avoid any ambiguity between the current instance and the upgraded one.
Installed plugins may lose compatibility with earlier versions. So better to check it after the upgrade.
Choose the web-based method to upgrade only if your database is less than 300 MB and you have access to CPanel. Otherwise, go for a command-based system.
Use staging servers for the process.
Generic Steps for Open Journal System (OJS) upgrade:
1. Set Environment Variables
2. Enter Maintenance Mode
3. Create Backups
4. Create a Sandbox
5. Download the Release Package
6. Check System Requirements
7. Install Release Package
8. Run the Upgrade
9. Remove Maintenance Mode
10. Test the Upgrade
11. Restore Custom Plugins
12. Cleanup Backup Files
Why do you need to upgrade OJS 2 to OJS 3?
Since the inception of OJS, PKP has released two major versions that are OJS 2.x and OJS 3.x. Currently, both versions are doing extremely well in terms of managing scholarly research work publications throughout the world.
As you know, current circumstances demand constant upgrades and novelty in each thing. So that OJS is not the exception over here. The developer of OJS, known as the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) keeps on pushing the boundaries of OJS to meet the user’s demands.
In continuation, I would say PKP is pouring the new features and functionalities in OJS in form of frequent upgrades. As a result in recent times (the year 2022), the new version, OJS 3.x has been released with great features and enhanced security functions. So, to take the advantage of the new add-ons everyone must need to upgrade from the older version to the latest.
Upgrade OJS 3.X to OJS 3.3.0-13 >>
You might ask a question:
If OJS 2 is working perfectly fine, then why should I move on to OJS 3? Your question is not at the wrong place, as a counterargument, I would like to add that, OJS 2 is lacking in many areas such as look and feel, security, and functionality.
If you do not migrate to the latest version, you will not be able to enjoy the extra benefits from the latest offerings of OJS 3. For better clarity please refer subsequent section that describes the additional features and benefits provided by OJS 3.
What are the features provided by OJS version 3 and 3.2.x compared to OJS 2.x?
Existing OJS users are more comfortable with OJS 3.
OJS management feature
Flexible editorial workflow
Author Plugins also recommend this upgrade.
Support a “draft” option for reviews.
Easy compatibility with third-party plugins.
New default themes
Statistics reports
More responsive in terms of page loading speed and mobile-friendly.
Author records can be deleted very easily by submission deletion.
Multilingual author name support
Support for thematic collections or categories of articles
Submissions from removed journals can be counted.
Important: Things to consider before upgrading OJS 2 to OJS 3 :
The OJS 2 Theme or the design template you used before, may no longer support the latest OJS version
Some plugins no longer support OJS 3, including Books for Review and Dataverse Please note that for you to take an inventory of your useful and frequently used plugins and features, you should check and trace details regarding their availability for newer OJS versions before you decide to upgrade.
Some data is not included as a result of the OJS upgrade. We have listed the exclusion of data that be found.
The pop-up that shows the detail of each editorial team won’t be supported. The solution for this issue is to create a custom static page or custom design for each of the Editorial members including their affiliation.
Conclusion
To summarize, I would say that an OJS upgrade is a very necessary thing to do if you want your hosted journal more secure, efficient, responsive, and reliable. However, this process is not an easy task for a normal human being. It requires expert knowledge. So, I would suggest you to higher an expert agency for the said purpose.
To begin with the basic idea, I would say, Open Preprint Systems (OPS) and Open Journal Systems (OJS) are kind of free or you can say open-source software. This software is developed and managed by PKP ( Public Knowledge Project). PKP is a project of various universities spread across the world to provide open-source software to the world research community, and to bring scholarly publishing under one umbrella as far as the World Wide Web is concerned. This software primarily aims at digitization of research work to make it more accessible easily and without any subscription.
PKP not only has Open Preprint Systems and Open Journal System, but it also provides software like Open Monograph Press (OMP) and OHS (Open Harvester Systems). In this section, we will only talk about Open Preprint Systems.
It is a very robust open-source platform, which primary task is to avail the functionality by which preprint management of research papers can become hassle-free. This software has a very good capability to manage research papers that are not published.
For providing the above-discussed functionalities Open Preprint Systems uses the same software architecture just as Open Journal System (OJS). Open Preprint Systems manages the servers which hold the preprint of research papers, that are accessible online by the general population.
What is a preprint?
It is nothing but one kind of research paper in its draft form not in the final published version. Many times it happens that researchers want their novel ideas put in front of the world before it gets finalized. A research paper is a thing that cannot be finished in one go, it requires a lot of editing and a rigorous back & forth correction process.
During its implementation part, a single research paper generates many versions, which are called preprints.
A research paper that is accepted by editors but not published is also called a preprint.
A research paper that is sent back to the writer for correction by the editors, is also called a preprint.
Which are the functionalities provided by Open Preprint Systems (OPS)?
Responsive reader front-end with multiple options for content organization
Author-led rapid publication workflow
Online submission and management of all content
Customizable to suit your screening policies, with several options included
Integrated with scholarly publishing services such as Crossref and ORCiD
Locally installed and controlled
Community-led and supported
Built-in support for a wide array of features from the OJS and OMP ecosystem
Available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with more languages to come
How do Open Preprint Systems (OPS) differ from Open Journal Systems (OJS)?
As far as the birth of these two software systems is concerned, they share the common goal of “Management of Scholarly Research Work & Publishing them online”. The way in which they operate to manage the resources makes them different from each other.
https://pkp.sfu.ca/
Both software originated from a common platform run by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), which is known for its non-profit nature and availing subscription-less, customizable various research-oriented software management systems. User can decorate their websites made by such platforms very easily and of course free of cost. This software holds the GNU General Public License (GPL v3)
The primary goal of PKP is to initiate the OPS to make preprint management very easy for people who do not have a technical background. It has a very simple and self-explanatory workflow.
On the other hand, The main focus of OJS is to grab the attention of the research community, spread across the world. It provides services to individuals as well as the institute to host an open-access journal with a simplified editorial workflow. As more than 10000 open-access journals already have been hosted using OJS, it is very popular amongst the research community.
https://sauraj.in/index.php/SAURAJ
We have a dedicated expert team for OPS (Open Preprint System) services. To make preprint management tasks easy, click below to schedule a meeting.
OPS is basically an open-source software, that is free for anyone to use with preprint handling. It is developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP). Where the software is free to download or modify. Both software is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL v3). It is the one-stop solution for managing complex preprints.
