OJS Clone Platform
A custom-built, modern, multi-journal academic publishing and editorial pipeline management system. Use this interactive manual to master deployment and daily operations.
Platform Overview
The OJS Clone Platform is designed to help organizations run academic journals with zero reliance on legacy scripts like Open Journal Systems. The platform coordinates roles, builds automated review tasks, supports rich formatting for editorial sidebars and menus, and generates public citation pages easily.
Multi-Journal SaaS Engine
Super Admins can register an unlimited number of journals. Each journal gets its own sub-URL structure, its own branding theme colors, its own dedicated files, database scope, editorial menus, and staff.
Local Installation Guide
Follow these five steps to install and run the platform on a Windows local machine running XAMPP.
Open the XAMPP Control Panel on your machine. Start the Apache and MySQL modules. Next, open your browser and navigate to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/. Create a new blank database named sciencetier.
Open command prompt inside your project directory (c:/xampp/htdocs/OJS Clone/sciencetier) and run the command to download required Node modules:
npm install
Locate the .env file in the root of the project. Adjust database and email dispatch credentials:
DATABASE_URL="mysql://root:@127.0.0.1:3306/sciencetier" NEXTAUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000" NEXTAUTH_SECRET="OJS_CLONE_SUPER_SECRET_JWT_KEY_786_HA_TECH" # SMTP Credentials SMTP_HOST="mail.ojsclone.com" SMTP_PORT=465 SMTP_USER="info@ojsclone.com" SMTP_PASSWORD="YourSMTPPassword"
Push the schema models directly to your local MySQL database using Prisma CLI:
npx prisma db push
Initiate the Next.js engine locally:
npm run dev
Open your web browser and navigate to: http://localhost:3000
Dashboard Manuals (Role-Specific)
Click on any role card below to inspect dashboard permissions, path access, and core operational tasks. (Note: When printing this manual, all dashboard roles will be expanded automatically so you receive a complete user manual).
Super Admin holds global authority over the publishing system, handling journal registration, users, system settings, and activity audits.
User Audits & Roles
Add, edit, deactivate, or delete registered users. Promote users to Editors, Copyeditors, or Journal Managers.
Journal Provisioning
Register new journals (setting name, ISSN, slug, and initial owner/manager). Clone setup checklists dynamically.
Global Broadcast System
Dispatch rich HTML emails to all platform users or specific subgroups instantly using the integrated SMTP pipeline.
Security Controls & Logs
Audit administrators using detailed IP logs. Enable system-wide Maintenance Mode to freeze user submissions safely.
The Journal Manager is responsible for customized layouts, sidebars, index lists, issues, and page contents for a specific journal.
Appearance Customizer
Apply branding colors (HEX format), headers, footers, logos, and cover banner assets live.
Menu Navigation Builder
Build recursive drop-down navigations. Re-order links using drag-and-drop actions, and set custom links or toggle visibility.
Journal Pages (CMS)
Maintain journal policies, submission requirements, aims, and editorial boards via a rich text editor.
Issue Planner
Create issues and volumes. Assign accepted articles, input page numbers, and release issues to go live.
Academic Editors steer submissions through the peer review pipeline, appointing reviewers, analyzing reports, and making final workflow decisions.
Reviewer Assignment
Search registered reviewer database, check deadlines, and dispatch manuscripts for expert evaluations.
Review Analysis
Monitor reviewer activity, review private comments, and read final recommendations.
Decision Panel
Reject, Accept, or request Revisions. Accept decision triggers copyediting, and revision decisions prompt authors to update files.
Reviewers inspect manuscripts, submit evaluation ratings, and offer academic recommendations to the Editorial Desk.
Accept / Decline invitations
Read titles and abstracts of assigned manuscripts, and accept or decline review requests based on deadlines.
Submit Evaluation Form
Rate the manuscript on research quality, provide suggestions for the author, and submit private notes to the Editor.
Authors submit new research papers, monitor progress in real-time, upload updated versions, and communicate with editors.
Submission Wizard
Four-step submission wizard: select target journal, write metadata (title, abstract, keywords), upload PDF/DOCX files, add co-authors, and submit.
Upload Revisions
When asked for revisions, authors upload updated documents (incrementing version to v2, v3, etc.) and write revision response notes.
Direct Messaging
Communicate directly with the assigned journal editor within secure, manuscript-linked chat threads.
Copyeditors refine accepted manuscripts, fixing spelling, grammar, spacing, styles, and references.
Retrieve accepted drafts
Locate accepted articles, download original files, and apply formatting corrections.
Upload copyedited files
Upload the copyedited file, request author checks if necessary, and submit to send the file to the Production Stage.
This panel coordinates production. Production Editors, Layout Editors, and Proofreaders work together to construct and approve final published PDFs.
Production Editors
Oversee the production workflow, assign layout tasks to Layout Editors, and proofreading tasks to Proofreaders.
Layout Editors
Download the formatted copyedited file, typeset it into a double-column PDF layout, upload the final Galley PDF, and submit for proofing.
Proofreaders
Inspect layout files, request final text corrections, and submit a final approval recommendation to the Editor.
The Article Publication Pipeline
Here is how a manuscript progresses through the platform, from a draft submission to being assigned to an issue and going live on the website.
| Manuscript Status | Stage | Responsible Role | Action Required |
|---|---|---|---|
DRAFT |
Submission Wizard | Author | Author completes the submission form and clicks submit. |
SUBMITTED |
Editorial Desk | Editor | Editor views details and assigns 1+ peer reviewers. |
UNDER_REVIEW |
Peer Review | Reviewer | Reviewer reads file, fills evaluation form, recommends accept/reject. |
REVISION_REQUESTED |
Revisions Desk | Author | Author uploads revised file (v2, v3, etc.) based on feedback. |
ACCEPTED |
Review Decision | Editor | Editor accepts the paper and moves it to Copyediting. |
COPYEDITING |
Editing Desk | Copyeditor | Copyeditor edits grammar/references, uploads updated file. |
PRODUCTION |
Layout & Proofing | Layout Editor / Proofreader | Layout editor uploads Galley PDF; proofreader approves layout. |
PUBLISHED |
Issue Release | Journal Manager | Journal manager assigns article to an Issue and publishes. |
Journal Branding, Menus & CMS Pages
Configure custom layout assets, header navigations, and CMS pages to build unique identities for each journal.
1. Appearance & Color Palette Customizer
Navigate to Manager Panel > Appearance. Update colors, logo, and cover graphics. Select primary background codes (such as deep blue, emerald green, or purple) to customize header themes.
2. Menu Builder Navigation
Build navigation menus using the drag-and-drop tool in Manager Panel > Menu Builder. Drag links inside folders to build dropdown menus, arrange ordering, and toggle visibility on the public header.
3. Creating CMS Pages
Create static pages (like "Author Guidelines" or "Publication Ethics") in Manager Panel > Journal Pages. Use the text editor to format tables, links, and content, then copy the slug (e.g. guidelines) and link it directly in your menus.
SMTP Email Configurations
The system dispatches emails at critical workflow stages. To ensure reliable delivery, configure your SMTP settings in the project's .env file:
SMTP_HOST="mail.journalplatform.com" SMTP_PORT=465 SMTP_USER="noreply@journalplatform.com" SMTP_PASSWORD="YourSecureSMTPPassword" SMTP_FROM_EMAIL="noreply@journalplatform.com" SMTP_FROM_NAME="Journal Publishing Desk"
SMTP Fallback Mode
If SMTP configurations are missing or incorrect, the platform will write emails directly to the local terminal console (console.log) instead of throwing an error. This ensures offline development and testing work correctly.
Security & Administrative Audits
The platform is designed with security and tracking features to protect content and maintain accountability.
| Security Layer | Mechanisms & Protocols | Implementation Details |
|---|---|---|
| Password Safety | Salted bcryptjs Encryption | All passwords are encrypted with 10 salt rounds before database storage. Plain-text passwords are never saved. |
| Access Control | NextAuth Credentials Provider | JSON Web Tokens (JWT) manage secure user sessions. Access permissions are verified at both the route and API level. |
| Brute Force Rate Limiting | `LoginAttempt` Database Registry | Logs unsuccessful sign-in attempts per IP. Automatically rate-limits an IP address after consecutive failures. |
| Administrative Audit Trail | `ActivityLog` Registry | Tracks Super Admin actions, recording user emails, action descriptions, timestamps, IP addresses, and browser info. |
Troubleshooting & Maintenance
Quick reference guide for resolving common local setup and database issues.
1. Database Connection Failures
If the platform crashes with a database connection error (like PrismaClientInitializationError), verify the following:
- Open the XAMPP Control Panel and check that **MySQL** shows a green background.
- Check your
.envfile's database connection URL and verify port settings (default MySQL port is `3306`).
2. Maintenance Mode
To put the website into maintenance mode during upgrades:
- Log in to the **Super Admin Panel** (
/ha-access-sciencetier-panel786). - Go to global settings and toggle **Maintenance Mode** to **ON**.
- Save changes. Public visitors will see a maintenance page, while administrators can still access dashboards at the direct login path.