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OJS for EveryoneThe Practical Guidebook

Multi-journal Setup

A single OJS installation can host any number of journals, each with its own settings, users, content, and domain. This is the recommended approach for institutions hosting several journals.

Creating a New Journal​

  1. Log in as Site Administrator
  2. Go to Administration → Hosted Journals
  3. Click Create Journal
  4. Enter the journal's name, description, and path (e.g., myjournalpath)
  5. Click Save

The journal is now accessible at: https://yoursite.com/index.php/myjournalpath

Assigning a Journal Manager​

After creating the journal:

  1. Go to the new journal's Users & Roles → Users
  2. Enroll a user (or create a new account) and assign them the Journal Manager role
  3. The Journal Manager can then configure the journal independently

Custom Domains per Journal​

Each journal can be given its own domain (e.g., https://myjournal.org) using the base_url setting:

; In config.inc.php
base_url[myjournalpath] = "https://myjournal.org"

Point myjournal.org DNS to your server, add an SSL certificate, and configure your web server virtual host.

Site-level Settings​

Settings under Administration → Site Settings apply across all journals:

SettingDescription
Site TitleName displayed when no journal is selected
Site IntroductionText on the site homepage listing all journals
Default LocaleDefault language for the site
Minimum Password LengthSecurity policy for all users
Bulk EmailWhether journal managers can bulk-email users

Shared vs. Journal-specific Users​

OJS uses a shared user database across journals. A user with one account can have different roles in different journals (e.g., Author in Journal A, Reviewer in Journal B).

Disabling or Archiving a Journal​

  1. Go to Administration → Hosted Journals
  2. Click Edit next to the journal
  3. Uncheck Enable this journal to appear publicly on the site

The journal content remains in the database but is hidden from public view.

Further Reading​