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OJS for EveryoneThe Practical GuidebookRSYN Research LLP

Tutorial: Research Organization Registry (ROR) Setup

Role: Journal Manager / Site Administrator
Time: 10–20 minutes
OJS Version: 3.5+

The Research Organization Registry (ROR) plugin for OJS enables authors to select their institutional affiliation from a searchable, standardised registry during submission. ROR IDs are included in metadata exports, improving discoverability and funding compliance.

Before You Start​

  • You have Journal Manager or Site Administrator access in OJS.
  • ROR is a free, open registry — no registration or API key is required.
What Is ROR?

ROR (ror.org) is a global, community-led registry of research organisations. Each institution has a unique persistent identifier (e.g., https://ror.org/02h2x0161), similar to how ORCID provides persistent IDs for researchers.

Step 1 — Install the ROR Plugin​

  1. Log in as Site Administrator.
  2. Go to Administration → Plugin Gallery.
  3. Search for ROR or Research Organization Registry.
  4. Click Install.

Or download from github.com/pkp/ror and upload to /plugins/generic/ror/.

Step 2 — Enable the Plugin​

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

No additional configuration is required — the plugin queries the public ROR API automatically.

Step 3 — Author Experience During Submission​

When the plugin is enabled:

  1. During submission, the author fills in the Affiliation field.
  2. As the author types, the plugin queries the ROR API and shows a dropdown of matching institutions.
  3. The author selects their institution from the dropdown.
  4. The ROR ID is automatically recorded alongside the affiliation text.

Step 4 — Verify ROR Data in Metadata​

To confirm ROR IDs are being recorded:

  1. In OJS, open a submitted article.
  2. Go to Publication → Contributors.
  3. Click Edit next to a contributor.
  4. Check that the Affiliation field shows the selected institution and ROR ID.

Step 5 — ROR in Metadata Exports​

ROR IDs are included in:

  • CrossRef XML exports (when the CrossRef XML Export Plugin is enabled)
  • Native XML exports
  • OAI-PMH metadata (depending on your OJS version)

Troubleshooting​

ProblemSolution
No suggestions appearing in affiliation fieldCheck OJS server has internet access to query api.ror.org
Plugin not found in Plugin GalleryInstall manually from GitHub
ROR ID not appearing in exportsEnsure the author completed the ROR selection (not just typed text)

Next Steps​