Journal Sections

Sections are the content categories your journal uses to organise articles — for example, Original Research, Review Articles, Case Studies, Letters, Editorials. Each section can have its own editorial policies, review type, and word count requirements.

Accessing Sections

Settings → Journal → Sections

Creating a Section

1. Click Add Section.
2. Fill in the section configuration:

Basic Settings

Field	Notes
Title	Display name (e.g., "Research Articles", "Reviews")
Abbreviation	Short code used in DOI suffixes and file names (e.g., "RA", "R")
Indexing	Whether the section contents are indexed in search
Peer-reviewed	Check if articles in this section undergo peer review
Word Count	Maximum word count for submissions to this section (optional)
Review Form	Assign a custom reviewer questionnaire (see Review Forms)

Review Type

Set the default peer-review type for submissions to this section:

Type	Description
Double-blind	Neither author nor reviewer identity is disclosed
Single-blind	Reviewer is anonymous; author identity visible to reviewer
Open	Both identities are disclosed

The section review type overrides the journal-level default for submissions to this section.

Submission Permissions

Setting	Effect
Authors can only submit to this section (unchecked by default)	When checked, restricts who can submit here
Allow section editors to accept, decline, and request revisions for their assigned submissions	Grants Section Editors full decision rights for this section
Do not require this section to be peer reviewed	Bypasses review stage for this section (useful for Editorials)

Abstract Settings

• Require abstract — check for most research sections; uncheck for editorials or short communications.
• Word count — set a maximum abstract length if the journal enforces one.

3. Click Save to create the section.

Editing an Existing Section

Click the arrow (▶) next to a section name to expand its options, then select Edit to modify any settings.

Deactivating a Section

If you want to stop accepting new submissions to a section without deleting its historical articles:

1. Open the section for editing.
2. Uncheck "Submittable by Authors" (or the equivalent option in your OJS version).
3. Save.

Existing articles in the section remain visible; authors simply cannot submit new manuscripts to it.

Ordering Sections

Sections appear in the submission wizard and the journal's table of contents in the order listed on the Sections page. Drag and drop to reorder them.

Section-Level Editor Assignment

Some journals assign a dedicated Section Editor to handle all submissions to a particular section. To configure this:

1. Go to Users & Roles → Users.
2. Find the Section Editor and click Edit on their profile.
3. Under the Roles tab, confirm they have the Section Editor role.
4. The Journal Manager or Editor assigns them to individual submissions through the Participants panel.

There is no automatic round-robin assignment in the standard OJS UI — assignment is manual per submission. The Assign Submissions guide explains the workflow.

Common Section Configurations

Section type	Peer-reviewed	Review type	Abstract required
Original Research	✅	Double-blind	✅
Review Article	✅	Double-blind	✅
Case Study	✅	Single-blind	✅
Letter / Short Communication	✅	Single-blind	Optional
Editorial	❌	—	Optional
Book Review	Optional	Single-blind	Optional
Commentary	Optional	Open	Optional

Further Reading

• Learning OJS — Journal Settings: Sections — Official sections configuration guide
• PKP Community Forum — Section configuration community tips