Open Journals service

The Open Journals Service is a publication and hosting service for LJMU online academic journals.

The LJMU Open Journals Service supports the publication of LJMU academic and student-led open journals. The service, run by LJMU Library Services uses Open Journal Systems (OJS) to support the publishing process, including submission, peer-review and online publication. The Library will help with the initial set-up of a journal and provide ongoing support.

What you can expect from the Open Journals Service

The Library commitment:

  • Provide advice and support to help editorial teams set up their journal
  • Provide training, documentation and support in OJS functionality, especially in the intensive start-up phase
  • Provide limited customisation in accordance with LJMU branding guidelines
  • Give support for archiving, preserving and migrating content for future technologies
  • Provide help and advice for copyright issues and licences, and support in creating redacted files if required
  • Provide advice on applying for an ISSN
  • Provide some support for the handover of journals to new editorial teams and provide re-training where required to aid journal sustainability
  • Provide the option for DOIs to be assigned to journal articles

Journal Editors Commitment:

  • Develop editorial policies for their journal
  • Be responsible for quality control, the submission process, reviewing, editing and production of journal issues
  • Be responsible for the content published in the journal including ensuring published content does not infringe any third party copyright
  • Ensure authors are aware that their papers will be available on an open access basis via a creative commons licence
  • Inform the Library of any significant changes in the management of the journal
  • Seek the support of their School in publishing the journal – this is mandatory for student-led journals
  • Have a succession plan in place – this is mandatory for student-led journals
  • Inform the Library of any issues affecting the publishing of the journal

Setting up a new journal

If you would like to set up a new journal, please complete and submit the New Journal Proposal Form (Docx, 43KB). Your journal will need to be approved by the LJMU Open Journals Service Manager and your Head of School or Director of Service.

Migrating existing journals to OJS

The Library can also migrate existing journals from alternative platforms, such as WordPress or a website to the LJMU Open Journal Service. To request this please complete and submit the New Journal Proposal Form (Docx, 43KB).