Journal Launch Services on OJS — Foundation, Professional or Institutional
Three fixed-price launch packages, each available as Rent (we host), Own (your servers) or Build–Operate–Transfer. Not sure the journal should exist yet? Start with the $1,999 feasibility study and a written go/no-go.
Prices in USD. Nothing above $2,000 is sold by self-checkout — it comes back as a written proposal.
Four ways people arrive at "we need to start a journal"
Each one has a different first step.
"The dean approved a journal. Nobody has told me what it costs to run for five years."
→ Start with Should You Start This Journal? — $1,999, with a governance and cost plan."We have a board and a name. We do not have a platform, an ISSN, or a single policy written down."
→ Start with Launch a Journal — Foundation — $4,999."There are already four journals in this field. I need to know whether ours adds anything before I ask for budget."
→ Start with Should You Start This Journal? — landscape, positioning, go/no-go."IT insists it runs on our servers. The library wants OJS. The board wants a first issue this academic year and a second journal next year."
→ Start with Launch a Journal — Institutional — multiple journals, integrations and an SLA.Three launch tiers, a feasibility study, and the usual add-ons
Every tier is priced one-time and delivered on OJS. No tier includes an indexing application — the roadmap tells you what to build toward.
We host and maintain OJS. Your domain, your DOI prefix, full export on request. Hosting is priced separately.
OJS installed on your servers. Your IT team holds the keys from day one.
We build it, run the first issues, then transfer platform and operations to your team on an agreed date.
Should You Start This Journal? (feasibility study)
Removes: funding a journal that should not exist.
- Landscape review of journals already serving your field
- Scope and positioning statement
- Governance model and multi-year cost plan
- Written go/no-go recommendation
Launch a Journal — Foundation
Removes: a blank OJS install with no policies and no ISSN.
- OJS set up on a standard theme, your domain
- Essential policies: peer review, authorship, licensing
- ISSN administration and DOI infrastructure
- Editor training and a written indexing roadmap
Launch a Journal — Professional
Removes: a journal that looks and runs like a default install.
- Everything in Foundation
- Custom identity: logo, cover, site theme
- Configured OJS workflow and extended policy suite
- Editorial board governance setup and first-issue management
Launch a Journal — Institutional
Removes: a multi-journal program with no service agreement.
- Everything in Professional
- Migration of existing content and system integrations
- Multiple journals under one governance program
- Service-level agreement for the operating period
ISSN Application Administration
Removes: a stalled ISSN request because form and site did not match.
- Application prepared for print and/or electronic ISSN
- Site checked against the ISSN centre's requirements
- Correspondence handled until assignment
Journal Identity Package
Removes: a Foundation-tier journal that still looks like every other OJS site.
- Logo and cover design in editable source files
- Typography and color system applied to the OJS theme
- PDF article template matching the site
OJS on Your Own Servers
Removes: an IT team learning OJS from forums while the board waits.
- OJS installed and hardened on your infrastructure
- Email, backups, cron and plugins configured
- Handover notes and an update routine for your admins
DOIs, Crossref, ORCID & Metadata
Removes: a first issue with no DOIs or unreadable metadata.
- Crossref membership application and DOI prefix
- OJS DOI and ORCID plugins configured and tested
- Metadata deposit checked on the first articles
Also available
| Service | Unit | Price | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journal Website & Author Experience Redesign | project | $2,499 | Request a proposal |
| How to Fund Your Journal — APC, Diamond OA or Institutional | project | $1,499 | Add to cart |
From "should we?" to a first issue
The first two stages run on our calendar; the last two on your editors', because the content comes from them.
Feasibility & scope (2–3 weeks)
We map the journals already in your field, draft scope and positioning, and cost the governance model. You get a go/no-go in writing. If you have already decided, this shrinks to a kickoff call.
Platform, identity, policies (4–8 weeks)
OJS is installed as Rent, Own or BOT. The ISSN application goes in. Policies are drafted for the board to approve. On Professional and Institutional, identity and workflow configuration run in parallel.
Editor onboarding & first call for papers
Editors are trained on the live system, not a demo. The call for papers goes out with the submission checklist and reviewer forms in place.
First issue & indexing roadmap
We manage first-issue production on Professional and above, deposit DOIs, and hand over a roadmap of what each database expects before you apply. First issue typically within 6 months of kickoff, if the editorial team delivers content.
Your editors decide. We run the process.
Editorial independence
The journal's own editors keep final authority over reviewer selection, editorial assessment and acceptance. NeucitePress runs the process and the infrastructure — never the decision.
Platform independence
Open-source software (OJS), your own domain, your own DOI prefix, and full data export on request. You can leave at any time with everything.
No indexing guarantees
Inclusion in DOAJ, Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE or any other database is decided solely by that database. We prepare, document and apply — we do not promise outcomes.
No indexing application inside a launch tier
Each tier ends with an indexing roadmap, not an application. Applications are separate services, scoped once the journal has the issues and policies a database expects.
What buyers ask before they choose a tier
Tell us about the journal you want to start
Send the field, the sponsor and the date the board expects a first issue. You get a tier recommendation in writing, or an honest note that feasibility should come first.
Nothing above $2,000 is sold by self-checkout — those requests come back as a written proposal within 3 business days.