Resources for Journal Editors

We offer comprehensive services for journals published on our platform. We provide editorial team support for our publishing software, including setup and permissions, along with an in-depth guide for editors. Our consultation and troubleshooting support covers managing submissions, setting up review forms, and technical issues. We ensure discoverability by helping with indexing, applying for an ISSN, and registering DOIs. For preservation, we partner with CLOCKSS to archive content long-term. Journal assessment includes detailed metrics reports. We also offer additional services for copyediting, print on demand, and developing copyright policies.

All of our journals are published on Open Journals systems, an end-to-end scholarly publishing platform designed to manage the entire workflow for submission, peer-review, and production in one place. Please see our Instructions for Editors guide for detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to use every workflow on the platform.

OJS Instructions

Resources We Provide:

If a journal decides to publish with IU Libraries, we will provide an introduction to our publishing software, either in person or virtually, to all editors and journal staff. We will use that initial training to make sure that all members of the editorial team have the correct permissions set up. We have also created an OJS 3 Instructions for Editors guide to give editorial teams a thorough overview of the journal publishing software we use. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough of the editorial workflow as well as tips on the various permissions and user interfaces of Open Journal Systems.

We will provide instructions and support for basic publishing software functionality questions. Some items that we help editorial teams understand and troubleshoot include:

  • How to manage submissions, from review through copyediting
  • How to set up review forms
  • How to set up automatic e-mail reminders
  • How to add subscribers
  • How to organize what users see effectively and efficiently
  • How to troubleshoot technical issues and request software features

We consult with editorial teams to make sure that their journal is discoverable and that it displays common indicators of quality and rigor. Indicators of quality are important for attracting potential authors to your publication. We assist with discoverability by:

  • Applying for an ISSN for your journal (if you don’t already have one).
  • As members of CrossRef, assign and register Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for your journal content.
  • Assist you with journal indexing to increase readership. We assist with submitting applications and updating policies/the journal website to satisfy indexing requirements. You can check our list of databases in which we have frequently helped index our journals.
  • Help you apply for Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ) indexing and the DOAJ Seal. DOAJ is an important directory for finding high-quality OA publications. Their seal is considered one of the best markers of a quality open access publication, and requires specific copyright, metadata, and preservation standards in order to be achieved. For more information, check out the official DOAJ Seal requirements and benefits.

We collaborate with CLOCKSS to provide reliable digital archiving for our journals. CLOCKSS serves as a “dark archive” that does not provide user access, but preserves articles for future use. These secondary copies will withstand any potential issues and ensure that your journal’s content survives for decades to come.

Journals can opt to receive metrics reports monthly or annually. These metrics can include article views and downloads as well as referrers, search statistics, and more.

You are required to have a copyright policy in place before your journal page is published with IU Libraries. Two exemplar copyright agreements that we recommend editorial teams emulate are the College and Research Libraries Author Agreement and the Indiana University Journal of Undergraduate Research Author Agreement. Both utilize a non-exclusive license to publish and Creative Commons licenses so that others know how the work can be used.

Naz Pantaloni, Copyright Program Librarian, can consult with editorial teams on crafting and/or revising existing copyright policies.

Contact Naz