Choosing a platform

Choosing a platform

/ Fri, 09/20/2024 - 12:47

Abstract

These guidelines help Diamond OA publishers and journals understand what they need and what factors to take into account when choosing a platform for their journal(s). Choosing a proper journal management system and having a proper hosting arrangement will help Diamond OA publishers and journals meet the Diamond Open Access Standard’s (DOAS)  requirements.

Main Text

According to the Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS), an online publishing platform should make it possible:

  • for authors to submit their manuscripts using an online submission system, rather than sending it via email. Authors should be able to register an account, log in, fill out the required forms and attach the manuscript and other supporting materials. After the submission, they should be able to track the progress of their manuscript and communicate with the editor via the system.
  • for editors and editorial staff to communicate with authors, peer reviewers, editorial assistants, copyeditors, etc. via the system and to save all the correspondence in it.
  • to publish (display publicly on web pages) the metadata and full text of the articles accepted for publication. 


As a minimum, the platform should have a clear interface usable by everyone, including those with disabilities and impairments, and adjustable to various screen sizes (responsive). Metadata should be available in both human and machine-readable formats and it is also recommended to expose machine-readable metadata via standard metadata exchange protocols and enable metadata export. The platform must comply with the security standards established by law and it must be maintained, updated, regularly backed up and protected against security threats. 

When choosing a platform for their journals, publishers should consider a number of factors and make some decisions.

  1. Choosing software for the journal platform

Use journal management software

The above-mentioned requirements can be difficult and costly to meet if a publishing platform has to be built from scratch or when trying to adjust a ready-made content management system that does not natively support scholarly publishing workflows (e.g. Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, etc.). Most journal management software solutions, both proprietary and free and open source (FOSS), support these features out of the box. 

Use free and open source software (FOSS)

Using a FOSS solution (e.g. Open Journal Systems, Janeway, Kotahi, PubSweet, etc.) is highly recommended because it is more cost-effective and software can be customised without having to pay or ask permission from the software producer. 

Consider the following when deciding which software to use:

  • What features do you need/want?
  • Is the software properly documented and regularly updated? 
  • How large and active is the community behind it?
  • Familiarise yourself with the functionalities offered by each solution (through software demos, video tutorials and documentation, the websites of the journal already using  a particular software)
  • Is integration with other technical infrastructures such as persistent identifiers providers (e.g. Crossref or DataCite, ORCID, Research Organization Registry) or long-term preservation services supported?
  • Would it be possible to migrate the journal to a different software if needed (e.g. OJS to Janeway)?
     

  1. Choosing a hosting option

Building an independent journal platform

In this scenario, software is downloaded from the software provider’s website and installed on a server, which can be owned by the journal(s) owner or outsourced from a hosting provider. The journal owner is responsible for software updates and maintenance and sometimes also for backups and security.

Advantages

  • Full control of the publishing platform and content
  • High potential for customisation


Disadvantages

  • Engagement and technical expertise are required.


Consider the following when deciding to build an independent journal platform:

  • What technical and financial resources are available to you? 
  • Is IT support for software installation and maintenance available and how much does it cost?
  • Would you be able to ensure maintenance, security, backing up and updates?
  • Would you be able to repair and replace hardware if needed (if the publisher has their own server)?
  • Would you be able to support all editorial and publishing workflows, including DOI registration and long-term preservation?
  • How many journals would you like to host? If it is only one journal, it might be more cost-effective to use software-as-a-service hosting.
  • Draft and maintain documentation explaining in detail the technical set-up and workflows to enable an easy transition in case of technical failure, staff change or platform migration.


Software-as-a-Service hosting

In this scenario, a commercial or non-commercial service provider collaborates with a publisher to set up a journal management platform and other services. The services offered may range from a fully set up web environment where even the design of web pages is largely predefined (e.g. OpenEdition, PubPub, Hrčak OJS), to independent and highly customisable instances of the software (e.g. Open Journals System and Janeway). They can be offered free of charge or as packages priced based on the service offerings.

Advantages: 

  • Little or no technical skills are required to set up the platform.
  • The service provider takes care about security, backing up, software maintenance, updates, configuring HTML meta tags and XML sitemaps, registering DOIs and setting up metadata exchange protocols (e.g. Open Access Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting - OAI-PMH). 


Disadvantages

  • Limited customisation options (either because they are not foreseen or because they are offered at a higher price).
  • The uptake of emerging best practices is determined by the service provider’s capacity to implement them.
  • Migration to another platform can be difficult, resulting in data loss.


Consider the following when deciding on the hosting option:

  • Does the offered service include all the required features? What are the scope and quality of offered services?
  • Is long-term preservation ensured by the service provider?
  • Are the documentation and technical support provided?
  • Are customisations possible? If yes, under what conditions (who can do this; costs)?
  • Is it guaranteed that there is no risk of vendor lock-in and is it possible to move the platform to other vendors or to the organisation itself without loss of information or high costs?
  • Make sure that hosting is compliant with relevant data protection regulations (e.g. GDPR).


Once you have chosen appropriate hosting and software solutions, follow the instructions of software providers to set up journal pages and workflows.


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References 


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Licensing

This article is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Tags
Accessibility
Free and open-source software
Interoperability
Metadata
Metadata and file formats
Persistent identifiers
Preservation
Sustainability
Visibility