Backlog Clearance Project — from

Overview

Authors are emailing to ask when their accepted paper will appear. The last issue was late, the next one is later, and an indexer or your institution has noticed. A backlog does not clear itself; it needs a dedicated push with a date attached. The Backlog Clearance Project is that push.

This is for any journal with a queue of accepted manuscripts, on Open Journal Systems (OJS), the free, open-source software from PKP, or any other platform. It is often the first step before a journal moves to regular per-article production.

What’s Included

• Backlog inventory — a list of every accepted manuscript, its state, word count, figures and any missing files, agreed with your editor before work begins
• Production plan — issue assignments, batch schedule and a committed completion date
• Full production — copyediting, author queries, typesetting into PDF, HTML, JATS XML and accessible PDF, and a proof cycle for every article
• Author coordination — our coordinator chases proofs so your editor does not have to
• Issue assembly — issues built in OJS (or delivered as packages) ready for the editor to publish, with tables of contents and DOI metadata prepared
• Completion report — what was delivered, what was blocked (for example, unresponsive authors) and how it was handled

How It Works

1. We inventory the backlog and confirm scope, batches and the completion date.
2. You approve the fixed project fee.
3. We run production in batches, reporting progress each week.
4. Issues are assembled and handed to your editor for publication. Pricing is a fixed project fee, based on the number of articles and their total words and figures at inventory.

Important Limitations

• Scope is fixed at inventory — papers accepted after the inventory can be added as a change, at the same unit rates.
• Author responsiveness — an author who does not return a proof can hold a paper; we report these and agree with you whether to publish, hold or move to the next issue. The completion date covers work within our control.
• Missing files — manuscripts without final files or figures are excluded until you supply them.
• External fees — DOI registration uses your Crossref account; any third-party charges are passed through at cost.

Common Questions

Can the sprint include a redesign of our article layout?
Yes, if agreed at scoping. A new template is created first and applied across the backlog.

What happens after the backlog is clear?
Most journals move to per-article production (Article Typesetting or Copyediting + Typesetting) so the queue does not build up again.

Do you publish the issues?
We prepare everything; the editor presses publish. If you want us to manage that as well, ask about editorial office services.

Request a proposal, or begin with the Journal Health Check.