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OJS for EveryoneThe Practical GuidebookRSYN Research LLP

Copyediting Stage

After an editorial acceptance decision is recorded, the submission moves to the Copyediting stage. Here, a Copyeditor reviews the manuscript for grammar, style, and consistency before it is typeset for publication.

Moving a Submission to Copyediting​

When you record an Accept Submission decision in the Review stage:

  1. OJS prompts you to send the submission to Copyediting.
  2. Click Send to Copyediting in the decision dialog, or navigate to the Copyediting tab manually and select files to send.
  3. Choose which submission files to carry forward (typically the final accepted manuscript).

The Copyediting Tab​

Open the Copyediting tab on the submission to see:

  • Copyediting Files — files available for the copyeditor to work with
  • Copyediting Discussions — threaded messages between editor, copyeditor, and author
  • Participants — users assigned to this stage

Assigning a Copyeditor​

  1. In the Participants panel on the right, click Assign.
  2. Choose the Copyeditor role.
  3. Search for and select a copyeditor from your journal's user list.
  4. Optionally check "Send notification email".
  5. Click OK.

The copyeditor now sees the submission in their queue.

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If your journal does not have a dedicated copyeditor, the Editor or Section Editor can perform copyediting directly by assigning themselves with the Copyeditor role.

What the Copyeditor Does​

The copyeditor:

  1. Downloads the manuscript from Copyediting Files.
  2. Edits the file (in Word, LibreOffice, or directly in a web tool).
  3. Uploads the edited file back to OJS.
  4. May open a discussion thread to query the author on unclear passages.

Author Review of Copyedits (Optional)​

If your journal's workflow includes author approval of copyedits:

  1. The copyeditor notifies the editor when the copyedited file is ready.
  2. The editor opens a discussion thread with the author, attaches the copyedited file, and asks for approval.
  3. The author reviews and responds in the thread with any corrections.
  4. The copyeditor makes final adjustments and uploads a clean version.

Approving Copyediting and Moving to Production​

Once copyediting is complete:

  1. Confirm the final copyedited file is uploaded in Copyediting Files.
  2. Scroll to the Editorial Decision area in the Copyediting tab.
  3. Click Send to Production.
  4. In the dialog, select which file(s) to pass to the Layout Editor.
  5. Click Record Decision.

The submission moves to the Production tab and the copyediting stage is closed.

Monitoring Progress​

Use Copyediting Discussions to:

  • Check whether the copyeditor has started work (they will post a message when downloading or when a query arises).
  • Send reminders or instructions.
  • Review author responses to copyeditor queries.

If a copyeditor is unresponsive, you can reassign by removing them from Participants and adding a replacement.

Skipping Copyediting​

For journals with a lean workflow (e.g., rapid publication):

  1. Navigate directly to the Copyediting tab.
  2. Add the accepted manuscript to Copyediting Files manually.
  3. Click Send to Production without assigning a copyeditor.

This is appropriate for short communications, conference proceedings, or letters where extensive copyediting is not required.

Further Reading​