Interested in using OJS for your journal?

The first step is to learn more about how OJS works, by reviewing the documentation, and by trying out our demonstration 'Test Drive' Journal. You might also want to visit some of the many journals currently using the software.

You should also assess whether OJS is a good fit for your journal. There are other open source options that you may also wish to consider.

Next, you can download and install the software on your own server, or work with us to set OJS up for you.

Once you have your OJS installation up and running, you'll need to go through the web-based configuration, filling out several fields of information describing your journal and defining its operations and policies. Fortunately, OJS provides several default policies, which may be just right for your journal, require a little tweaking, or provide you ideas for what to think about for your own unique policies.

Will your journal be open access, require subscriptions, or provide delayed open access, after an embargo period? OJS supports all three options. Other revenue possibilities also exist, such as the government funding, sponsorships, web-based advertising, and more.

Is your journal unilingual, bilingual, or trilingual? OJS has been translated into several languages, and can provide a multilingual interface for your journal.

You may also want to customize the design of the journal, to set it apart visually from the default OJS 'look and feel'.

Do you have print backfiles to digitize and include in your OJS journal? The SFU Library is a national leader in the field of digitization and can provide guidance in the best practices for putting your existing content online. OJS also contains tools which will allow you to quickly and easily import your journal's existing metadata (author names, titles, abstracts, etc.).

If you are looking for assistance with operating your new journal, including the planning and orientation, submission and review management, editorial and production management, business management, or marketing, contact the CCSP Press. They will be able to provide services in all of these areas.

Having configured your journal, you will next want to apply for an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) from Library and Archives Canada. International users will need to visit ISSN International Centre. This will uniquely identify your journal, and help indexing services and libraries to better organize and provide access to your journal and its content.

Once you've completed these steps, your journal will be up and running and ready to publicize, call for contributions, and get indexed. Take a look at these resources to assist you with making your journal a success.