OJS Editorial Process

This guide will assume your journal is using different users enrolled as Copyeditors, Layout Editors, and Proofreaders. However, in many journals the Editor or Section editor may fulfill some or all of these roles (defined by the Journal Manager in Setup Steps 4.5-4.7). If you are an Editor or Section Editor that is tasked with fulfilling one or more of these roles, you can follow the same steps described below (only logged in as Editor or Section Editor rather than Copyeditor, Layout Editor, and/or Proofreader).

Please note that OJS tries to set a recommended workflow that accommodate the most complicated editing processes (involving separate users for each role) or the simplest editing process (one Editor overseeing and completing each step of the Editing process). For example, once the Review Process is complete and the final reviewed version of a submission is sent to Copyediting, the Editor might decide that the submission does not need to undergo the full Copyediting process and instead can move directly to Layout Editing. To do so, all the Editor must do is navigate to the submission’s “Editing” page, download the file from “Initial Copyedit” and upload it as the “Layout Version” under the “Layout” heading. And if the file has already been formatted according to the journal’s standards, the Editor can upload it directly as the “Galley,” or display, file. At any point in the Editing process, the Editor can also schedule the submission for publication under the “Scheduling” heading on the submission’s “Editing” page.

Finally, if the Editor decides to upload a fully formatted and proofread submission during the Submission Process, OJS will give them the option of bypassing the entire review, copyediting, layout editing, and proofreading processes upon finalizing their submission. OJS will upload the submission file to the “Galley” field on the Editing page, and the Editor will be able to immediately schedule the submission for publication. This option is only available to Editors, but it demonstrates how flexible OJS approaches the Editing process.

This guide will try to describe the Editing process in OJS at its most complex. OJS provides a framework but it is ultimately up to the journal manager to define workflow. Here is an example of a typical workflow for Editing in OJS:

Review Decision→ Copyediting → Layout Editing → Proofreading → Publication

Assigning a Copyeditor

The first step in the Copyediting Process is for the Editor or Section Editor to assign a Copyeditor to the submission.

1. To begin assigning a Copyeditor to a reviewed submission, first log in as Editor or Section Editor, navigate to the User Home page, and click “In Editing” to view all submissions currently in the Editing process. Submissions are highlighted either yellow, green, or blue based on how far along the submission is in the editing process (Yellow-Copyediting; Green-Layout Editing; Blue-Proofreading).
   
   
   
2. Click on your desired submission title to navigate to the Submission’s “Editing” page. Scroll down to the Copyediting heading and click “Assign Copyeditor” to begin the copyediting process.
   
   
   
3. Clicking “Assign Copyeditor” will direct you to a list of all Copyeditors registered with your journal site. In addition to providing the full first and last name of each Copyeditor, this list provides information about each Copyeditor’s past and current work for your journal, including the number of copyediting assignments completed, the number of active copyediting assignments, and the date of their latest copyediting assignment. Select your desired Copyeditor for the submission by clicking “Assign.” This will direct you back to a modified “Editing” page for the submission.
   
   
   
4. On the “Editing” page, your selected Copyeditor’s name should now appear between “Copyeditor” and “Assign Copyediting” under the “Copyediting” heading. The final step in Assigning a Copyeditor is to initiate the request and notify the Copyeditor of their assignment.
   
   
   Make sure you double check the file listed under “Initial Copyedit.” This should be the final review copy selected by the Editor or Section Editor after “Making a Decision on a Submission”. If the file is not correct (or if you want to upload an updated file) you can upload a new version by selecting “Step 1,” choosing your file from your computer, and clicking “Upload.” You can also input comments for the editor by clicking the word bubble next to “Copyedit Comments.”
   Once you have uploaded the correct file, click the first mail icon in the “Initial Copyedit” row (“Request” column). This will pull up a prepared email for the Copyeditor, notifying them of their assignment. This email will also provide the Copyeditor with log-in instructions and a direct link to their assigned submission. After clicking send, you will once again be directed back to an updated “Editing” page for the submission. The date of the email request will now appear next to the mail icon.
   
   
   

The Initial Copyedit

In order to begin the Initial Copyedit, the Editor or section editor must make sure they initiate the request and send an email to the copyeditor. The email will outline the copyediting protocols defined by the journal and provide the Copyeditor with both log-in instructions and a direct link to their assigned submission.

1. Log-in as the Copyeditor and navigate to the link provided in the Request email. Alternatively, the Copyeditor can navigate to the User Home pages, and click “In Editing” to view a list of all submissions assigned to them. In order to begin the Initial Copyedit, click on the desired submission title in order to navigate to the submission’s “Editing” page.
2. On this page you can download the Author’s reviewed draft of their submission by clicking and downloading the file that appears under “Initial Copyedit.” You can also review the submission’s metadata (“Review Metadata”) and their references (“References”). Finally you can review the journal’s “Copyediting Instructions” by clicking the link provided. This will open the instructions in a new window.
   
   
   
3. After downloading the initial draft of the submission and reviewing the journal’s copyediting instructions, you can begin copyediting directly in the downloaded document. Make sure you save your copyedited version as a separate file on your computer. When you are finished with the copyedit, click “Choose File” to upload your copyedited version into the journal, then click “Upload.” This will replace the initial draft with your copyedited version for the author. You can also provide additional comments for the Author by clicking the text bubble next to “Copyedit Comments.” When you have finished your copyedit, click the mail icon under “Complete” to generate an email that will notify the Author that the initial copyedit has been completed for their review and provide both a link to their copyedited submission and instructions on how to proceed in the Copyediting process.