Skip to main content
OJS for Everyone Logo
OJS for EveryoneThe Practical GuidebookRSYN Research LLP

Tutorial: Automated Editorial Email Service Setup

Role: Journal Manager / Site Administrator
Time: 20–40 minutes
OJS Version: 3.5+

OJS can send automated editorial emails — review reminders, decision notifications, and scheduled task emails — without manual intervention. This tutorial covers configuring SMTP delivery and enabling automated email tasks.

Before You Start​

  • You have Journal Manager or Site Administrator access.
  • You have SMTP credentials from an email service provider. See Email Providers for free options.
  • The acron plugin or a system cron job is running (required for timed emails).

Part 1 — Configure SMTP Delivery​

Step 1 — Edit config.inc.php​

Site Administrators configure SMTP in config.inc.php:

[email]
; Use SMTP for sending email
smtp = On
smtp_server = smtp-relay.brevo.com
smtp_port = 587
smtp_auth = ssl
smtp_username = your@email.com
smtp_password = yourpassword

Common SMTP providers for OJS:

ProviderServerPortAuth
Brevo (Sendinblue)smtp-relay.brevo.com587TLS
SendGridsmtp.sendgrid.net587TLS
Mailgunsmtp.mailgun.org587TLS
Gmailsmtp.gmail.com587TLS
Amazon SESemail-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com587TLS

Step 2 — Test Email Delivery​

  1. In OJS, go to Administration → Email → Send Test Email.
  2. Enter your own email address.
  3. Click Send.
  4. Check your inbox — if the test email arrives, SMTP is configured correctly.

Part 2 — Enable Automated Email Tasks​

OJS sends automated emails via its scheduled task system.

Option A — acron Plugin (Recommended for Shared Hosting)​

The acron plugin is a self-managed scheduled task runner — it does not require a system cron job.

  1. Go to Settings → Website → Plugins → Installed Plugins.
  2. Find Acron and toggle to Enabled.

acron runs tasks (including timed review reminder emails) every time OJS receives a web request.

Option B — System Cron Job (Recommended for VPS/Dedicated)​

For better reliability, set up a system cron job:

crontab -e

Add this line to run OJS scheduled tasks every hour:

0 * * * * php /path/to/ojs/lib/pkp/tools/scheduler.php run >> /var/log/ojs-scheduler.log 2>&1

Replace /path/to/ojs with your actual OJS installation path.

Part 3 — Configure Review Reminder Emails​

Automated reminder emails help move submissions through the editorial workflow.

Step 1 — Set Review Deadlines​

  1. Go to Settings → Workflow → Review.
  2. Set the following:
    • Default response deadline (days): Number of days reviewers have to accept/decline.
    • Default review deadline (days): Number of days reviewers have to complete the review.
  3. Click Save.

Step 2 — Enable Reminders​

  1. In Settings → Workflow → Review, scroll to the Reminders section.
  2. Set:
    • Send reminder to reviewer before response deadline (days before)
    • Send reminder to reviewer before review deadline (days before)
  3. Click Save.

OJS will automatically send reminder emails to reviewers on the configured schedule.

Part 4 — Customise Email Templates​

Customise the content of automated emails:

  1. Go to Settings → Workflow → Emails.

  2. Click any email template to edit.

  3. Key templates for editorial automation:

    • REVIEW_REQUEST — sent when reviewer is invited
    • REVIEW_REMIND — review reminder
    • REVIEW_CONFIRM — reviewer accepts
    • EDITOR_DECISION_ACCEPT — acceptance notification to author
    • EDITOR_DECISION_DECLINE — rejection notification to author

  4. Edit subject and body. Use {$variableName} placeholders for dynamic content.

  5. Click Save.

Troubleshooting​

ProblemSolution
Emails not sendingCheck SMTP credentials; test with "Send Test Email" in Administration
Reminder emails not going outEnsure acron plugin is enabled or cron job is running
Emails going to spamUse a dedicated SMTP service; add SPF, DKIM, DMARC DNS records for your domain
Emails sent with wrong senderSet Email Signature and Return address in Settings → Workflow → Emails

Next Steps​