Tutorial: WoS Reviewer Recognition Service Setup
Role: Journal Manager / Site Administrator
Time: 15–25 minutes
OJS Version: 3.5+
The Publons Reviewer Recognition Plugin (now part of Clarivate's Web of Science suite) allows reviewers to receive credit for peer reviews completed in OJS. Verified reviews are automatically logged to their Publons/WoS Researcher profile.
Before You Start
- You have Journal Manager or Site Administrator access in OJS.
- You have registered your journal with Clarivate at clarivate.com.
Publons was acquired by Clarivate and is now integrated into Web of Science Researcher Profiles. The OJS plugin may still be listed as "Publons Reviewer Recognition" in the Plugin Gallery.
Step 1 — Install the Plugin
- Log in as Site Administrator.
- Go to Administration → Plugin Gallery.
- Search for Publons or Reviewer Recognition.
- Click Install.
Alternatively, download from github.com/pkp/publons, unzip to /plugins/generic/publons/, and enable.
Step 2 — Enable the Plugin
- Go to Settings → Website → Plugins → Installed Plugins.
- Find Publons Reviewer Recognition and toggle to Enabled.
Step 3 — Configure the Plugin
- Click the Settings icon next to the plugin.
- Enter your Publons / WoS API Key (obtain from your Clarivate account at publons.com/api/v2/).
- Enter your Journal ID (found in the Publons journal registration portal).
- Save.
Step 4 — Reviewer Workflow
When a reviewer completes a peer review in OJS:
- OJS automatically sends a notification to Publons/WoS using your API key.
- The reviewer receives an email from Publons inviting them to claim credit.
- The reviewer accepts and the review is added to their WoS Researcher Profile.
Reviewers must have a Publons/WoS account to claim credit. Reviews are verified (article title and journal shown) but the review content remains confidential.
Step 5 — Verify the Integration
- Complete a test review cycle in OJS (or use a sandbox/staging instance).
- Check that the reviewer receives a Publons email notification after the review decision is made.
- Log in to your Clarivate journal portal and confirm the review record appears.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Reviewers not receiving Publons emails | Check the API key and Journal ID are entered correctly |
| Plugin not sending data | Ensure your OJS server can make outbound HTTPS requests to publons.com |
| Journal ID not found | Re-register your journal at publons.com |
| Plugin not in Plugin Gallery | Install manually from the GitHub repository |
Next Steps
- WoS Reviewer Locator Setup — find qualified reviewers using the WoS reviewer database
- Plugins Reference — overview of all OJS plugins
- Configure Email in OJS — ensure email notifications are working