The Open Journal Systems – OJS) is one of the leading systems for managing and publishing scientific journals online. This system was developed by The General Center for Digital Publishing (PKP – Public Knowledge Project), which is widely used by universities, research institutes, and academic publishing houses to manage the complete workflow of scientific publishing.
The Concept of OJS and Its Role in Scientific Publishing
Provides OJS a flexible and integrated environment for publishing scientific journals by supporting the following core processes:
- Research Submission Management: Allows researchers to submit their research electronically through a unified system.
- Peer Review Management: Supports various review models, including Double-Blind Peer Review , which ensures research evaluation with strict academic standards.
- Editing and Formatting: Provides tools to assist the editorial board in formatting research and preparing it for final publication.
- Publishing and Indexing: Published research can be linked to global indexing systems such as CrossRef, Google Scholar, PubMed and others, enhancing the dissemination and academic impact of research.
- Subscription and Open Access Management: The system supports the Open Accessmodel, which contributes to providing scientific content to the public without restrictions, while allowing customization for subscription-based journals.
Key Features of OJS
🔹 Flexible management of academic journals: One or multiple journals can be managed through the same system, making it ideal for large academic institutions.
🔹 Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Contains OJS advanced tools to improve article visibility in academic search engines such as Google Scholar, increasing the chances of academic citations.
🔹 Support for academic standards and indexing: Supports custom digital identifiers for research (DOI – Digital Object Identifier) and integration with ORCID to accurately identify authors.
🔹 Copyright and licensing management: Allows specifying different license types such as Creative Commons, making it easier for researchers and journals to define intellectual property rights.
🔹 Multilingual support: OJS supports many languages, including Arabic, making it easy for researchers in the Arab world to use.
🔹 Integration with other systems: Can be linked with indexing systems and academic databases such as Scopus and Web of Science To provide broader access to scientific content.
🔹 Integrated Notification System: It sends automatic email alerts to authors, editors, and reviewers to keep all parties informed of the research status.
Why do universities rely on OJS as a core system for managing scientific journals?
OJS is widely adopted in academic and research institutions for several key reasons:
✅ Open Source System: Being free and open-source, OJS provides an economical alternative for institutions wishing to publish their scientific journals without incurring high costs.
✅ Ease of Use and Management: It offers a flexible user interface that simplifies management processes, from receiving research to final publication.
✅ Compliance with Electronic Archiving Standards: It supports protocols OAI-PMH, allowing scientific journals to be archived in open digital repositories such as DOAJ and LOCKSS.
How to install and manage OJS in academic institutions?
🔹 Technical Requirements: OJS requires hosting that supports PHP and MySQL, and can be easily installed on university servers or cloud hosting providers.
🔹 Customization and Development: The system can be fully customized to match the visual identity of the scientific journal, in addition to the ability to extend its functions through Plugins available.
🔹 Training and Technical Support: Many entities provide training and technical support services to help universities and scientific journals operate the system efficiently.
You can contact us for assistance with the installation process, as well as having a specialized team for training and preparation.
