Open Journal Systems (OJS) is one of the most prominent open-source platforms for managing and publishing scholarly journals. It was created to support academic open-access publishing, offering a complete workflow for journal management from submission and peer review to publishing and indexing within a single, flexible platform.
1. Origins and Foundation through PKP
The roots of the project trace back to the founding of the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) in 1998 by John Willinsky at the University of British Columbia (UBC), with the mission of advancing open access to research. Within this initiative, several open-source platforms were developed, the first of which was the Open Conference Systems (OCS), released in 2000.
2. The Birth of OJS – 2002
OJS was officially launched in 2002 at Memorial University as an open-source project for journal management. Historians described its release as a “milestone event” in the global open-access movement, highlighted in timelines curated by Peter Suber.
3. Development and Institutional Support
In 2005, PKP entered into a formal partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU) Library and the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing, which significantly accelerated OJS development. Broad institutional support followed, including funding from the Mellon Foundation in 2006 and the launch of sustainability services to ensure long-term OJS development.
4. Version 2.0 and a Complete Rebuild
OJS 2.0 was released after two years of development. It represented a full redesign of the platform, shaped through active feedback from editors of over 250 journals worldwide.
5. Widespread Adoption and Global Growth
By 2008, around 1,923 journals were using OJS globally. This number grew to more than 14,000 journals by the third quarter of 2012. According to PKP Beacon data, OJS was adopted by over 54,000 journals worldwide by 2025, underscoring its remarkable impact on scholarly communication.
6. Version 3.0 – A Major Leap
OJS 3.0 was launched in August 2016, introducing a modern interface and major technical improvements, including full support for updated PHP versions and the JATS XML Lens Viewer. This was followed by OJS 3.1.0 in October 2017.
7. Ongoing Development and European Support
In 2024, OJS was chosen as the technical foundation for the Open Research Europe (ORE) platform of the European Commission, reflecting the high level of trust major institutions place in OJS.
8. Technical Specifications and Architecture
OJS is built with PHP and uses MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL databases. It can be deployed on both Linux and Windows servers. Its modular plugin architecture allows extended functionality without altering the core system for example, indexing in Google Scholar or PubMed Central, generating RSS/Atom feeds, and providing COUNTER-compliant statistics. It also supports LOCKSS for long-term preservation and offers role-based editorial management (editor, reviewer, author, etc.).
9. Flexibility and Multilingual Support
A single OJS installation can host multiple journals, each with its own design and editorial workflow. The platform interface is available in more than 30 languages including Arabic, Russian, and Spanish thanks to contributions from a vibrant global community.
10. Advantages and Impact
Open-access publishing without cost: lowers barriers and expands the reach of academic research.
Complete publishing workflow: supports every stage from submission to peer review and distribution.
Enhanced visibility and citation impact: provides indexing tools, DOI integration, and CrossRef support.
Flexible configurations: supports subscriptions, hybrid models, or full open access, along with extensive customization.
From its beginnings as an R&D tool in 2002, through the major redesign of version 2.0, the transformative leap of version 3.0, and its adoption by the European research community, OJS has proven itself a pioneering open-source platform that empowers open-access publishing and strengthens the quality and efficiency of global scholarly communication.