1-Hour Journal Onboarding Checklist

Open Access Journal Setup in OJS · Facilitated by Mark Baggett

This checklist covers what I normally use to run a 1-hour onboarding session with a new open access journal team getting started in OJS. Each hands-on section includes numbered steps, an example scenario, and a quick checklist recap.

There is a Slideshow and Google Doc also available.

Exemplar Journal: Texas Water Journal

When the team is deciding how to configure their own policies, use the Texas Water Journal as a working, real-world example — it is a well-run, well-indexed OA journal built on OJS with clearly documented process and policy pages.

Texas Water Journal’s Approach

Policy Area

Texas Water Journal’s Approach

OA model

Diamond/platinum open access — no author fees (APCs) and no reader or subscription fees.

License

CC BY 4.0. Authors retain copyright; the journal receives right of first publication.

Peer review

Blind review (reviewer sees the author’s identity; author does not see the reviewer’s). Minimum of three reviewers per article; reviewers typically get about one month.

Editorial structure

Editor-in-chief pre-screens each submission, then assigns it to a section/article editor who selects reviewers and forwards a recommendation.

Sections

Articles, Program Review, and Legal Review, plus invitation-only Commentaries and Book Reviews.

Publication schedule

One primary annual issue, but articles are posted continuously as they’re finished rather than held for a single release; occasional special issues.

Indexing & recognition

Google Scholar, Scopus, and DOAJ — holds the DOAJ Seal for demonstrated best practice in OA publishing.

Archiving

Preserved long-term via the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN).

Governance

Independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit governed by a volunteer board; published in partnership with three universities (Texas A&M, UT Austin, and Texas Tech).

Full policy language: texaswaterjournal.org/twj/about

Before the Session

Send this checklist to the journal team ahead of time and confirm the following are ready:

  • ☐ OJS account credentials created for the Journal Manager

  • ☐ Journal title, abbreviation, and ISSN (if assigned) on hand

  • ☐ Logo file and short journal description ready to upload

  • ☐ List of editorial team members (names, emails, intended roles)

  • ☐ Decision on default license (e.g., CC BY 4.0) and OA policy language

  • ☐ A sample/test manuscript file for the live demo submission

Session Agenda (60 minutes)

Time

Topic

10 min

1. Journal Setup Basics

10 min

2. Roles & Users

10 min

3. Sections & Submission Setup

15 min

4. Editorial Workflow Walkthrough

10 min

5. Publishing an Issue

5 min

6. Wrap-up & Resources

1. Journal Setup Basics — 10 min

How To

  1. Log in as Journal Manager and go to Settings > Journal > Masthead.

  2. Enter the journal title and abbreviation, then click Save.

  3. Go to Settings > Journal > Identity to add the ISSN(s), if assigned.

  4. Go to Settings > Website > Setup to select the primary language and add any additional submission languages.

  5. Go to Settings > Distribution > License to set the default open access license (e.g., CC BY 4.0) and enter the OA policy statement.

  6. Back in Masthead/Setup, upload the journal logo and add a short description and contact email.

Note

Example scenario: The team is launching the Journal of Applied Ecology Studies. Walk through entering “Journal of Applied Ecology Studies” as the title and “JAES” as the abbreviation, set the primary language to English, and set the license to CC BY 4.0 with an OA statement such as: “All content is freely available without charge under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.”

Real-world model: Texas Water Journal is diamond OA (no author or reader fees) and licensed CC BY 4.0 — see texaswaterjournal.org/twj/about for their exact policy wording.

Quick Checklist

  • ☐ Confirm journal title, abbreviation, and ISSN (print & online, if applicable)

  • ☐ Set primary language and any additional submission languages

  • ☐ Configure open access policy statement and default license (e.g., CC BY 4.0)

  • ☐ Set journal description, contact info, and upload logo

2. Roles & Users — 10 min

Users & Roles

  • ☐ Review core roles and what each one does (see reference table below)

  • ☐ Add/invite editorial team members live

  • ☐ Confirm at least one Journal Manager and one Editor are assigned

  • ☐ Explain how reviewers are added (individually or via bulk CSV import)

Role Reference: Who Does What

Use this as a quick reference when explaining who fills each role and what they’re responsible for:

Role

What They Do

Journal Manager

Owns overall journal setup: configures settings, manages user accounts, assigns roles, and oversees the journal’s day-to-day operation. Usually the primary contact and first account created.

Editor

Oversees the full editorial process across the journal. Assigns incoming submissions to section editors, tracks progress, and makes final acceptance/rejection decisions.

Section Editor

Manages submissions within a specific section (e.g., Articles or Reviews). Assigns reviewers, monitors the review process, and recommends a decision to the editor.

Reviewer

Evaluates assigned manuscripts for quality, rigor, and fit, then submits comments and a recommendation (accept, revise, reject) to the editor. Does not have broader journal access.

Author

Submits manuscripts through the online system, responds to reviewer and editor feedback, and revises drafts as requested. Can track their submission’s status at each stage.

Copyeditor

Edits accepted manuscripts for grammar, clarity, consistency, and journal style before layout. Works directly with the author on final wording.

Layout Editor

Converts copyedited manuscripts into publication-ready galleys (PDF, HTML, XML, etc.), applying the journal’s formatting and design standards.

Proofreader

Does a final quality check on galleys — catching typos, formatting errors, or layout issues — before the issue is published.

Note

One person can hold multiple roles (e.g., a small journal’s Editor may also serve as Journal Manager). Roles can be assigned per-user in Users & Roles > Add User.

3. Sections & Submission Setup — 10 min

How To

  1. Go to Settings > Journal > Sections.

  2. Click “Add Section.” Enter a section title (e.g., Articles) and abbreviation (e.g., ART), then Save.

  3. Repeat for each additional section the journal needs.

  4. Go to Settings > Journal > Submissions to define the checklist authors must confirm before submitting.

  5. On the same tab, paste or write the author guidelines.

  6. If the journal needs extra metadata, enable fields (e.g., keywords, funding info) under Settings > Journal > Submissions > Metadata.

Note

Example scenario: This journal wants three sections: Articles, Case Reports, and Editorials. Create each section live with the team, using abbreviations ART, CR, and ED. Then add a submission checklist item such as “This submission has not been previously published” and turn on the Keywords metadata field so authors can tag their work.

Real-world model: Texas Water Journal uses three main sections — Articles, Program Review, and Legal Review — plus invitation-only Commentaries and Book Reviews.

Quick Checklist

  • ☐ Create journal sections (e.g., Articles, Reviews, Editorials) with abbreviations

  • ☐ Set the submission checklist authors must confirm

  • ☐ Draft or paste in author guidelines

  • ☐ Enable any additional metadata fields needed (keywords, funding info, etc.)

4. Editorial Workflow Walkthrough — 15 min

How To

  1. Log in as (or switch to) an Author account and go to Submissions > New Submission.

  2. Upload a test manuscript file and complete the submission metadata (title, abstract, authors).

  3. Switch to the Editor role. Under Submissions > Active, open the new submission and assign it to a reviewer in the Review stage.

  4. Open the reviewer assignment and show the review form fields (recommendation, comments to editor/author).

  5. As the editor, record a review decision (e.g., Accept) and move the submission to Copyediting.

  6. In Copyediting, show where copyedited files are uploaded and how the author reviews and approves them.

  7. Move the submission to Production and show where layout/galley files are uploaded.

Note

Example scenario: Submit a mock manuscript titled “A Test Submission for JAES Onboarding” as the author. Assign it to a reviewer (a second team member or a demo reviewer account) and complete a sample review recommending “Accept.” Then walk it through copyediting and production together so the team sees a submission move start to finish.

Peer Review Options

OJS supports several review models. Configure the default under Settings > Workflow > Review — worth a one-line mention during the walkthrough rather than a deep dive in a 1-hour session:

Model

How It Works

Open Review

Reviewer and author identities are visible to each other. Builds transparency; common in smaller or close-knit fields.

Blind Review

The reviewer sees the author’s identity, but the author does not see the reviewer’s. OJS’s most common default. Texas Water Journal uses this model, with a minimum of three reviewers per article and about a one-month review window.

Double-Blind Review

Neither party sees the other’s identity. Standard for most traditional academic journals; requires authors to submit an anonymized manuscript file.

No Formal Review

The editor records a recommendation directly without a structured reviewer role. Used by some invitation-only or editorially reviewed journals.

Other settings in the same tab: number of reviewers required per submission, review due dates, and whether to use OJS’s default review form or a custom one.

Quick Checklist

  • ☐ Submission — author uploads files and metadata

  • ☐ Review — editor assigns a reviewer; show the review form

  • ☐ Confirm the journal’s review model (open/blind/double-blind) and where it’s configured (Settings > Workflow > Review)

  • ☐ Copyediting — manuscript is copyedited and author reviews changes

  • ☐ Production — layout, galleys, and final proof are prepared

5. Publishing an Issue — 10 min

How To

  1. Go to Issues > Future Issues > Create Issue.

  2. Enter the volume number, issue number, year, and optional issue title, then click Save.

  3. Return to the mock submission (now in Production) and click “Schedule For Publication.”

  4. Select the issue you just created and confirm the section it belongs to.

  5. Go back to Issues > Future Issues, open the issue, and confirm/reorder the table of contents.

  6. Click “Publish Issue” to make it live.

Note

Example scenario: Create Volume 1, Issue 1 (2026) titled “Inaugural Issue.” Schedule the mock article from the workflow demo into that issue, confirm it appears correctly in the table of contents, and publish it together so the team sees their first issue go live.

Real-world model: Texas Water Journal publishes one primary issue per year but posts articles continuously as they’re finished, rather than holding them for a single release — worth raising if the team wants faster time-to-publication.

Quick Checklist

  • ☐ Create a volume/issue (or explain the continuous/rolling model if used instead)

  • ☐ Schedule the completed mock article into the new issue

  • ☐ Arrange table-of-contents order and confirm section placement

  • ☐ Publish the issue

6. Wrap-up & Resources — 5 min

Suggested Follow-Up Session Topics

  • Indexing and discoverability: DOAJ application, Crossref DOI registration

  • Journal appearance and theming

  • Plugins: plagiarism checking, altmetrics, statistics

  • Long-term preservation (LOCKSS/CLOCKSS/PKP PN)

  • Peer review policies and reviewer guidelines in depth