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.
   
   
   

Author's Response to Initial Copyedit

After the Copyeditor has finished their initial copyedit of an Author’s submission, the Author will receive an email notification with a link to their submission and instructions on how to proceed. In this step the Author must respond to the copyeditor’s edits, comments, and suggestions.

1. Log-in as an Author and click the link provided in the notification email to be directed to your submission’s “Editing” page. Alternatively, you can navigate to the User Home page, click “Active” to pull up a list of all your active submissions to the journal, then click your desired submission’s title. This will take you to the “Summary” page for your article. Click “Editing” at the top of the “Summary” page to take you to your submissions “Editing” page.
2. On the “Editing” page, you can download the copyedited version of your submission by clicking the file under “Initial Copyedit.” You can also view any additional “Copyedit Comments” by clicking the text bubble at the bottom of the Copyedit section. You can also enter any comments you might have for the Copyeditor. Open the downloaded copyedited file, make the required changes noted in the document by the copyeditor, and save the file as a new document on your computer.
   
   
   
3. Once you have finished making all the required changes suggested by the Copyeditor, click “Choose File,” locate the new version you saved on your computer, and click “Upload.” A file name and link will now appear next to “File:” under “2. Author Copyedit.” Double-check the file to make sure you uploaded the your revised version of your submission. To proceed to the next step, click the mail icon under “Complete” to send a notification email to the Copyeditor that the manuscript is available and ready for the final round of copyediting.
   
   
   

The Final Copyedit

This section will walk you through how the Copyeditor wraps up the copyediting process and sends the submission to layout editing.

In the previous two sections we explained the process by which the Copyeditor undertakes the initial copyedit and how the Author responds to those copyedits. Sometimes a submission might require multiple rounds of copyediting, however, OJS only has columns for “Initial Copyedit” and “Author Copyedit.” If the Author’s submission still needs additional copyediting, the Copyeditor can download the “Author Copyedit” file, make addition copyedits, upload the file to the “Initial Copyedit” field, and initiate the Copyediting request to the Author again. Then the Author can download the updated file from “Initial Copyedit,” make the required changes, upload a new version to “Author Copyedit,” and notify the copyeditor that they have completed their copyedit. This process can be repeated multiple times if needed.

In order to complete the copyediting process and send the copyedited version of a submission to the Layout Editor, log-in as the Copyeditor and click the link in the notification email to navigate to the Editing page of your assigned submission. Click the file under “Author’s Copyedit” to review their changes and make sure all in-document comments or editing suggestions are removed before sending the file to Layout Editing.

If the required changes were made and once you have removed all Copyediting notes or comments from the document, save the file to your computer. Click “Choose File,” select your final copyedited version from your computer, and click upload. The final copyedited version should now appear under “Final Copyedit.” Double-check that you uploaded the correct file, and click the mail icon under “Complete” to finish the Copyediting process. This will generate an email from the Copyeditor to the Editor or Section Editor assigned to the submission notifying them that the Copyediting process is complete and the submission is ready to enter the Layout Editing process.

Assigning a Layout Editor

The Layout Editor transforms the copyedited versions of submissions into galleys in HTML, PDF, PS, etc. -- files which the journal has elected to use for electronic publication. Please note that OJS does not have an internal mechanism for document conversion, so the Layout Editor must have access to and be able to use a third-party software for document conversion and styling.

After receiving the email notification from the Copyeditor that a final copyedited version has been uploaded to the site and is ready for layout editing, the Editor or Section Editor must first assign a Layout Editor.

1. Log-in as the Editor or Section Editor assigned to the submission and navigate to the User Home page. Click “In Editing” to pull up a list of all submission assigned to your account. Click the title of the desired submission to open the “Editing” page for your submission. Now that the Copyediting Process is complete, the final copyedited version of the submission should be viewable under “3. Final Copyedit.” This file will automatically be entered in the “Layout Version” column in the “Layout Section.” Before assigning a layout editor make sure to double-check the final copyedited version. You may upload a new version if additional changes are necessary before Layout Editing.
   
   
   
2. To assign a Layout Editor, click “Assign Layout Editor” to pull up a list of all Layout Editors enrolled in the journal. For each Layout Editor, you can view how many assignments they have completed, their active assignments, and the date of their last completed task. When you have selected your desired Layout Editor, click “Assign” to be redirected back to the “Editing” homepage for the submission. The Layout Editor’s name should now appear next to “Layout Editor.” To finish assigning a Layout Editor, click the mail icon under “Request” to generate a notification email for the Layout Editor. This email will include a link to the “Editing” page of the submission, log-in instructions, and an explanation of the Layout Editing process.
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Layout Editing

Since Layout Editors transform unformatted submissions, or “Layout Version” (typically Microsoft Word documents), into display versions, or “Galleys” (i.e. PDFs, HTML), most of the layout editing process will take place outside of OJS. Moreover, since formatting standards vary widely from journal to journal, the specific process of layout editing will be unique to your journal. Consult the specific “Layout Instructions” of your journal to understand exactly what is expected of you before starting layout editing. This section of the guide will not focus on the actual process of document transformation, but instead will walk you through the steps the Layout Editor must take in OJS to complete their Layout Editing so that the submission can move on the Proofreading stage. Also, please note that while the majority of the Layout Editor’s work will take place during the Layout Editing phase, they still will play a role in editing and uploading complete galleys after Proofreading.

1. Log-in as a Layout Editor and navigate to the submission’s “Editing” page by clicking the link provided in your notification email. Alternatively, you can navigate to User Home, click “In Editing” to pull up a list of all submissions assigned to you, then click on the desired submission’s title to be directed to its “Editing” page. On this page you can download the final Copyedited version of the submission (“Layout Version”), and read through the journal’s “Layout Instructions” and guide to “Reference Linking.” Once you have downloaded the Layout Version and looked through the instructions, you can begin formatting the articles “Galley” (display) format.
   
   
   
2. After completing the transformation from the copyedited Layout Version to a fully formatted Galley Version, the Layout Editor must upload the Galley format (and any supplementary files) to OJS and notify the Editor or Section Editor that the Layout Editing is completed.
   
   
   
3. To upload the galley, select the “Galley” option next to “Upload file to,” “Choose File” from your computer, and “Upload” the galley to OJS. After clicking “Upload” you will be directed to a new page where you can double-check your file and provide a label for your Galley. This label will identify your Galley’s file type. After reviewing the Galley, click “Save” to return to an updated “Editing” page for the submission.
   
   
4. On this page you can view your uploaded galley and upload a different version, if necessary. You can also enter additional comments for the Editor or Section Editor by click the text bubble next to “Layout Comments.” Clicking “View Proof” will give you a preview of how the Galley will be displayed in OJS. You can also “Edit” or “Delete” any galley you have uploaded. Once the final Galley is uploaded (and any supplementary files) all the Layout Editor must do to complete the Layout Editing process is click the mail icon under “Complete” to generate a notification email to send to the Editor or Section Editor informing them that the galleys have been prepared and the submission is ready for proofreading.

Notifying the Author and Assigning a Proofreader

Once the Layout Editor has submitted their formatted galleys and notified the Editor or Section Editor that they have completed the Layout Editing, the submission can then enter the final stage of the Editing Process: Proofreading. In OJS, the proofreading process is a collaborative process involving the Author, the Proofreader, and the Editor or Section Editor. Proofreading involves carefully reading through the galley file, produced by the Layout Editor, noting typographical and formatting errors for the Layout Editor to correct before publication. For more information on the proofreading process, please refer to the “Proofreading” entry in the OJS User Guide.

1. Log-in as the Editor or Section Editor and navigate to the submission’s “Editing” page. Scroll down to the “Proofreading” Section. To assign a proofreader to the submission, click “Assign Proofreader” in order to view a list of all proofreaders enrolled in your journal. Click “Assign,” and you will be directed back to the “Editing” page with the desired Proofreader assigned to the submission.
   
   
   
2. After assigning a Proofreader, the next step is to notify the Author that their submission has reached the Proofreading stage of the Editing process. Click the mail icon next to “Author” (below “Request”) to generate a notification email to the Author with a link to their submission and instructions on how to complete the Proofreading process.
   
   
   
3. The Author will be prompted to log-in, review the formatted galley versions uploaded by the Layout Editor (in the “Layout” section, click “View Proof”). Proofing instructions are provided on the page (in the “Proofreading” Section) for the Author. The Author will then submit and save their Proofreading Corrections by clicking the text bubble next to “Proofreading Corrections.” This will open a new window where the Author, following the “Proofing Instructions,” can enter corrections and submit them for the Proofreader and Layout Editor to review. Once the Author is finished, they must click the mail icon under “Complete” to notify the Proofreader (Editor or Section Editor is automatically CC’d) that they have completed their proofreading.
   
4. Once the Author has completed their proofreading and entered their “Proofing Instructions,” the Editor or Section Editor can “Acknowledge” the Author for their work throughout the Editing process and initiate the Proofreading request to the Proofreader assigned to the submission. Clicking the mail icon in the “Acknowledge” column next to Author will generate an email thanking the Author for their work in the submission and editing process. The Editor or Section Editor can also view the Author’s “Proofreading Corrections” by clicking the text bubble at the bottom of the Proofreading section. When the Editor or Section Editor is ready for the Proofreader and Layout Editor to complete the proofreading process, click the mail icon next to Proofreader under “Request” to send a notification email to the Proofreader a link to the submission and proofing instructions.
   
   
   

Completing the Proofreading

Once the Editor or Section Editor has assigned a Proofreader to a submission, the Author has reviewed the galley and entered proofreading corrections, and the Editor or Section Editor initiated the Proofreading request to the Proofreader, the Proofreader will then complete the final proofreading of the galley and notify the Layout Editor of any changes that need to be made to the galley before publication.

1. Log-in as the Proofreader and navigate to the “Editing” page of your assigned submission via the link in the notification email sent to you by the Editor or Section Editor. Read through the “Proofing Instructions” and click “View Proof” to begin carefully reading through the Galley and noting any typographical or formatting errors.
   
   
   
2. The Proofreader then can review the Author’s proofreading corrections and enter their own by clicking the text bubble next to “Proofreading Corrections.” Once complete, the Proofreader must click the mail icon in the “2. Proofreader Comments” row under “Complete” to send an email to the Layout Editor (Editor or Section Editor CC’d) notifying them that the Proofreading is complete and ready for the final Layout edit.
   
   
   
3. After receiving the notification email from the Proofreader saying that the Proofreading is complete, log-in as Layout Editor and navigate to the “Editing” page of the submission (via the link provided in the notification email). On this page you can view the “Proofreading Corrections” provided by the Author and the Proofreader by clicking the text bubble at the bottom of the screen. Taking these corrections into consideration, the Layout Editor will then upload an updated Galley version of the submission in the “Layout” section. Select “Galley,” then “Choose File” to select the final galley version, then “Upload” the file to OJS. Once the galley has been updated, click “View Proof” to review the final galley. If satisfied, click the mail icon in the “Proofreading” section (“Layout Editor” row, “Complete” column) to the Editor or Section Editor notifying them that the Proofreading process is complete, the galleys (and supplementary files, if any) have been updated, and the submission is ready to be scheduled for publication.
   
   
   

Sending Acknowledgements

At each step of the Editing process, whenever an Author, Copyeditor, Layout Editor, or Proofreader completes their assigned task and sends a “Complete” email to the Editor or Section Editor, the Editor or Section Editor can send an “Acknowledgement” email to each user recognizing their effort and thanking them for their work. Rather than mention this at each step of the process, this guide instead will list the points in the process where the Editor or Section Editor can “Acknowledge” users for their contributions to the submission. All of these “Acknowledgement” emails can be sent from the “Editing” page for the submission from the Editor or Section Editor role.

Copyediting: During the Copyediting stage, you can acknowledge the Copyeditor after they have uploaded the Initial Copyedit and the Final Copyedit. You can also acknowledge the Author after they have completed their Copyedit of the piece.

Layout Editing: During the Layout Editing stage, you can acknowledge the Layout Editor once they have successfully uploaded the formatted Galley file (and supplementary files, in any).

Proofreading: During the Proofreading stage you can acknowledge the Author and Proofreader after they have completing reviewing the galley version and entering their “Proofreading Corrections.” You can also acknowledge the Layout Editor after they have uploaded an updated galley file addressing the Author and Proofreader’s corrections and notified the Editor or Section Editor that the submission is ready for publication.