OJS on Your Own Servers
Overview
“Our IT department will host it, but nobody here has installed OJS, and the last time someone tried, email never worked.” Open Journal Systems is free, open-source software from the Public Knowledge Project and the most widely used journal platform in the world. Installing it properly, securing it, making email deliver, configuring the workflow and plugins, and setting up backups is a specialist job, and doing it badly creates problems that surface months later.
NeucitePress builds OJS on your institution’s own servers or cloud account so that the institution owns everything from day one: installation, security hardening, email delivery, user roles, editorial workflow, plugins, backups, metadata configuration, documentation, staff training and a handover of root access.
Who this is for: universities, societies and presses that must keep the platform under institutional control, and journals migrating from a hosted or proprietary system to infrastructure they own.
What’s Included
- Installation of the latest stable OJS release on your server or cloud instance, with a test environment before go-live
- Security hardening — HTTPS, file permissions, PHP and web-server settings, admin protections and update procedure
- Email configuration — SMTP, SPF/DKIM guidance and delivery testing so invitations and notifications arrive
- Journal configuration — masthead, sections, submission types, review settings and decision options
- User roles and permissions for editors, section editors, reviewers, authors, copyeditors and production
- Plugins — DOI and Crossref, ORCID, Google Scholar-compatible metadata, usage statistics, and others you need
- Backups — scheduled database and file backups with a tested restore procedure
- Metadata configuration — OAI-PMH, citation metadata and sitemap settings for discoverability
- Theme setup with your logo and colors on the standard OJS theme
- Documentation, 2-hour administrator training and handover of root access, with 30 days of post-launch support
How It Works
| Phase | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Server preparation | Days 1–2 |
| Installation and configuration | Days 3–7 |
| Customization and testing | Days 8–10 |
| Training and handover | Days 11–14 |
What Stays With Your Editors
The journal’s editors keep final authority over reviewer selection, editorial assessment and acceptance. The institution owns the servers, the software, the data and the credentials from the first day; NeucitePress runs the build process and hands over root.
Important Limitations
- Hosting is not included. You provide the server or cloud account; NeucitePress advises on specifications.
- OJS is free, open-source software; the price shown is NeucitePress’s professional fee for the build, configuration, documentation and training.
- Standard OJS theme with your branding; a custom public frontend is a separate service (Journal Website & Author Experience Redesign).
- Covers one journal on one installation; multi-journal installations priced separately. OJS only; not Janeway or other platforms.
- Ongoing maintenance and updates after the 30-day support period are the institution’s responsibility, or available under a maintenance agreement.
Common Questions
Can you host it instead?
Yes. The Launch a Journal packages are available hosted by NeucitePress, on your own servers, or as build-operate-transfer.
Can you migrate our existing journal into it?
Yes. Migration of content and users from another OJS installation or platform is quoted based on volume and source system.
What do we need from IT?
A server or cloud instance meeting the OJS requirements (PHP, MySQL or PostgreSQL, web server), a domain with DNS control, and an SMTP account or email relay. We provide the specification.
Every engagement can begin with the Journal Health Check.
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