Scholarly Communications

The Tennessee State University Libraries offers software and support for the creation and management of open access journals. The library uses Digital Commons software to host journals. Benefits of using this software include support for all types of content, search engine optimization, access to detailed analytics, and flexible peer-review workflows.

TSU affiliated faculty are eligible for free journal hosting and support. Before launching a new journal, please consider the components required for the journal, including people, policies, content, production, design, workflow, and sustainability. In most cases, you will be asked to sign a memorandum of understanding with the University Libraries to delineate expectations and responsibilities.

1. Journal title
   • o Ensure that this title is not already in use. Check WorldCat to confirm that the title is available. Make sure that the title is clear and can be abbreviated.
2. Appearance
   • The library will provide consultation for creating a landing page/cover for the journal. A color scheme, banner and/or cover photo should be submitted to the Library Digital Projects Committee before publication. Other journals published through Digital Commons can be consulted as examples of what is possible.
3. Focus and scope
   • Describe the subject areas and topics will the journal cover and the purpose of the journal.
   • Explain what will make this journal unique from existing journals with similar content.
   • Describe who the intended audience of this journal is.
4. Content
   • Describe what types of materials will be accepted. For example, research articles, reviews, opinion pieces, videos, etc.
   • Describe procedure for soliciting quality content over an extended period.
5. Publication frequency
   • Explain how often will issues/articles be published and if the articles will be published as received or bundled as issues.
6. Content indexing
   • If there is a need to assign DOIs to content Digital Commons does not automatically assign DOIs. TSU Libraries is not a Crossref member and cannot provide DOI assignments in the workflow. Alternative methods are needed to apply DOIs to hosted journals.
7. Journal indexing
   • Journal indexing will make the journal and its content more discoverable. All new journals are required to obtain an ISSN.
   • If the journal meets the criteria, register it with the Directory of Open Access Journals.
   • Check Google Scholar to see if the journal appears. If it does not, register it. 
   • There will be additional indexing opportunities dependent on the journal’s discipline. Each will have different policies and procedures that are typically available from their website.
8. Timeline
   • Outline the expected timeline. If it is a new journal with articles to be collected and edited, plan to allow one or two years of preparation time for the first journal issue to be released.
   • If it is a conference proceeding of collected papers, plan for six months to one year.
   • Provide a date for the first call for papers.
   • Provide what target date for the first issue is.

1. Journal manager and other staffing
   • Identify who will serve as journal manager, the person who is primarily responsible for this journal during the planning stages and after the journal has launched.
   • A managing editor will likely be needed to create and publish journal issues, monitor submissions, and assign peer-reviewers. There may also be a need for section editors to manage specific articles. Additionally, production staff will be needed to handle tasks such as copyediting, layout, and proofing. There will also likely be a need for an editorial board, authors, and reviewers.
   • While there certainly can be overlap in these roles (for example, an editorial board can act as reviewers or content shepherds) and it is not necessarily needed to have names in place to start the journal creation process. Please keep in mind that these roles will continue to be necessary throughout the life of the journal.
   • Establish documentation detailing responsibilities and terms for each of these roles.
2. Sustainability
   • Describe how new board members and staff will be recruited and trained, how often turnover will take place, and how long the initial members making this request will retain primary responsibility for the journal and who will replace them if they can no longer act as the journal manager.
   • A recruitment plan for author and contributors is necessary.

1. Selection criteria
   • Describe how submitted manuscripts will be considered for ------- and how manuscripts will be checked for plagiarism and/or copyright violations.
2. Review process
   • Describe the procedure for submission review in detail, including the peer review process and reviewer guidelines if applicable. Digital Commons includes workflow procedures for peer review, but one should know what type of peer review is appropriate for the journal.
   • Describe who will be involved in the peer review process.
3. Open access
   • All journals will be available open access immediately upon publication if hosted through Tennessee State University Libraries. The open access policy should be clearly stated on the journal's webpage and on author submission agreements.
4. Copyright policies
   • Explain who will hold the copyright for submissions. Many open access journals release content under a Creative Commons license. Creative Commons has a selection tool for picking an appropriate license.
   • Develop preliminary public statements for copyright policies, including rights, usage, attribution, and exceptions. Other journals in the field or published through Digital Commons can be consulted as examples.
   • In the event of a copyright infringement claim or other legal challenge, TSU Libraries may require the journal to remove the offending content from the journal.

Parts of this work are derived from Create and Manage Open Access Journals created by University of South Carolina Libraries, which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.