Open Journal Systems (OJS) Installation: A Comprehensive Guide:2023-24

Open Journal Systems (OJS) Installation – Are you looking to publish your academic or scientific research papers online? Open Journal Systems (OJS) is an open-source software that can help you set up an online journal easily. In this article, we will guide you through the installation process of OJS.

What is Open Journal Systems (OJS)?

Open Journal Systems (OJS) is a free, open-source software that enables publishers to manage and publish scholarly journals online. OJS provides a complete workflow for editors, reviewers, and authors, from the submission and review process to publishing and archiving.

Requirements for OJS installation

Before installing OJS, you need to ensure that your web server meets the following requirements:

• A web server (Apache, Nginx, or IIS)
• PHP version 7.2 or later
• MySQL or PostgreSQL database
• PHP extensions: DOM, JSON, MBstring, SimpleXML, and XML

You also need to have FTP access to your web server and a text editor to modify configuration files.

Step-by-step guide to installing OJS

Here is a step-by-step guide to installing OJS on your web server:

Step 1: Download OJS

The first step is to download the latest version of OJS from the official website: https://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs. You can download the compressed file in either .tar.gz or .zip format.

Step 2: Upload OJS to your web server

After downloading OJS, extract the compressed file on your local computer. Then, upload the extracted files to your web server using FTP. You can upload the files to the root directory of your web server or to a subdirectory.

Step 3: Create a database

Create a new MySQL or PostgreSQL database for your OJS installation. You can use phpMyAdmin or the command line to create a new database.

Step 4: Configure OJS

After uploading the files and creating a database, you need to configure OJS by modifying the configuration files. You can find the configuration files in the config directory of your OJS installation.

Copy the config.TEMPLATE.inc.php file and rename it to config.inc.php. Then, edit the config.inc.php file using a text editor to include the database credentials and other settings.

Step 5: Install OJS

After configuring OJS, you can install it by navigating to the URL of your OJS installation in a web browser. If you uploaded OJS to the root directory, the URL will be http://yourdomain.com. If you uploaded OJS to a subdirectory, the URL will be http://yourdomain.com/subdirectory.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process. You will need to create an admin account and configure the basic settings of your journal.

Step 6: Test your OJS installation

After installing OJS, you should test your installation to ensure that everything is working correctly. You can do this by creating a new submission and going through the submission process as an author.

Troubleshooting common OJS installation issues

Here are some common issues that you may encounter during the OJS installation process and how to troubleshoot them:

• “Cannot connect to database”: This error occurs when the database credentials are incorrect. Check that the database name, username, and password are correct in the config.inc.php file.
• “The system locale is not set”: This error occurs when the locale setting in the config.inc.php file is not set correctly. Set the locale setting to your system locale, for example, en_US.UTF-8.
• “Error: Smarty error: unable to write to $compile_dir”: This error occurs when the templates_c directory is not writable. Make sure that the templates_c directory has write permissions (e.g., chmod 777 templates_c).
• “Error: Unable to create a new user account”: This error occurs when the SMTP settings in the config.inc.php file are incorrect. Check that the SMTP server name, port, and authentication settings are correct.

Conclusion

Installing OJS may seem daunting at first, but it is actually a straightforward process if you follow the steps outlined in this article. OJS is a powerful software that can help you publish your academic or scientific research papers online, making them accessible to a wider audience.

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