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

Tutorial: Submit an Article

Role: Author
Time: 15–30 minutes
OJS Version: 3.5+

This tutorial walks you through the complete article submission process in OJS 3.5+, from creating an account to confirming your submission.

Before You Start​

Make sure you have:

  • The journal's submission URL (e.g., https://journal.example.com)
  • A registered author account (or create one — see Step 1)
  • Your manuscript file (Word .docx or PDF)
  • Author details for all co-authors (name, affiliation, email, ORCID if available)
  • An abstract (usually 150–300 words)
  • Keywords (typically 4–8 terms)
  • Any required supplementary files (data sets, figures, etc.)

Step 1 — Register or Log In​

  1. Navigate to the journal website.
  2. Click Register in the top navigation bar.
  3. Fill in the registration form:
    • First Name / Last Name
    • Affiliation (institution or organisation)
    • Country
    • Email address
    • Username and Password (minimum 8 characters)
  4. Tick "Yes, I would like to be notified of new publications" if you want issue alerts.
  5. Click Register.
  6. Check your email for a confirmation message and click the verification link.
Already have an account?

If you have previously submitted to this journal, simply click Login and enter your credentials.

Step 2 — Start a New Submission​

  1. After logging in, you will land on your Dashboard.
  2. Click the New Submission button (top-right of the dashboard).
  3. OJS opens the Start screen of the submission wizard.

Choose a Section​

Select the appropriate journal Section from the dropdown (e.g., Articles, Reviews, Short Communications). The available sections are set by the journal.

Submission Language​

If the journal is multilingual, select the Submission Language from the dropdown.

Submission Requirements Checklist​

Read each item in the Submission Requirements checklist and tick all boxes to confirm compliance. These requirements are set by the journal and may include:

  • The submission has not been previously published.
  • The file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
  • The text uses single-spacing, 12-point font, and italics rather than underlines.
  • All figures and tables are placed within the text.

Comments to the Editor (optional)​

Use this text box to add any notes to the editor — for example, suggesting reviewers to exclude, noting a related prior submission, or explaining why this paper fits the journal's scope.

Privacy Statement​

Tick the box to agree to the journal's privacy statement.

  1. Click Save and Continue.

Step 3 — Upload Your Submission File​

  1. On the Upload Submission screen, click Add File.
  2. In the dialog that opens:
    • Set Article Component to Article Text (or the appropriate type).
    • Click Upload File and select your manuscript from your computer.
  3. OJS uploads the file and displays a confirmation.
  4. Click Continue in the dialog, then Complete to finish uploading this file.
  5. Repeat Add File for any supplementary files (data, figures, etc.), selecting the correct Article Component for each.
File Formats

Most journals accept .docx, .rtf, or .pdf for the manuscript. Check the journal's Author Guidelines for accepted formats.

  1. When all files are uploaded, click Save and Continue.

Step 4 — Enter Metadata​

This screen collects all the bibliographic information about your submission.

Title and Abstract​

FieldNotes
TitleEnter the full article title; use sentence case unless the journal specifies otherwise
SubtitleOptional — enter a subtitle if your article has one
AbstractPaste or type your abstract; formatting (bold, italics, lists) is supported via the toolbar

Contributors (Authors)​

The submitting author is added automatically. To add co-authors:

  1. Click Add Contributor.
  2. Fill in First Name, Last Name, Email, Affiliation, Country.
  3. Optionally add ORCID iD — paste the full URL (e.g., https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097).
  4. Set the Contributor Role (Author, Translator, etc.).
  5. Tick Principal contact for this submission for the corresponding author.
  6. Click Save.

Repeat for each co-author.

Keywords​

  1. Type a keyword in the Keywords field and press Enter to add it.
  2. Add 4–8 keywords; each becomes a clickable tag.

Additional Metadata (if required)​

Some journals may require:

  • Coverage — geographic or temporal scope
  • Type — article type classification
  • Source — funding or grant information
  • Rights — copyright statement

Fill in any required fields (marked with a red asterisk *).

  1. Click Save and Continue.

Step 5 — Confirmation​

  1. Review the Confirmation screen. It shows:
    • Section and language
    • Uploaded file(s)
    • Author details and metadata
  2. If anything is wrong, click ← Back to return to the relevant step and correct it.
  3. When everything is correct, click Submit.
  4. A dialog asks you to confirm — click OK to finalise the submission.

After Submission​

  • You will receive an acknowledgement email confirming your submission reference number.
  • Your submission now appears in your My Submissions dashboard under the My Queue tab.
  • The editor will contact you with a decision or if additional information is needed.
Track Your Submission

Log in any time and go to Submissions → My Submissions to check the current status:

  • Submitted — awaiting editor assignment
  • In Review — under peer review
  • In Editing — accepted; in copyediting or production
  • Published — article is live

Troubleshooting​

ProblemSolution
File upload failsCheck that the file is under the size limit (usually 40 MB) and in an accepted format
Cannot tick all checklist itemsRead each item carefully; contact the editor if a requirement does not apply to your submission
No confirmation emailCheck your spam/junk folder; verify your email address is correct in your profile
Submission button is greyed outEnsure all required fields (marked *) are completed and all checklist items are ticked
ORCID not savingPaste the full ORCID URL including https://orcid.org/

Next Steps​