27 January 2025
Lancaster University Library has announced the launch of its new service, Lancaster University Open Journals, which will provide a free platform for hosting open access journals managed by the university’s academic community. This initiative aims to simplify the process for colleagues interested in developing and hosting scholar-led open access journals, peer-reviewed publications, conference proceedings, and more.
The platform is designed to remove the financial barrier of expensive hosting services, which typically cost between £1200 to £1500 annually. By offering this service free of charge, the library ensures long-term preservation of published work without the ongoing need for external funding.
The Lancaster University Open Journals platform utilizes Open Journal Systems (OJS) software, an open-source publishing platform developed by the Public Knowledge Project. OJS is the most widely used scholarly publishing tool in the world, offering a seamless experience for journal editors to manage the entire publishing workflow from submission to online publication. Articles published on the platform will be indexed by global discovery services such as Google Scholar, Crossref, and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), increasing visibility and accessibility of academic work.
All Lancaster University staff are invited to submit proposals to host their journals on the platform. Journals must be approved by the library and adhere to open access principles, including copyright retention for authors, Creative Commons licensing, and proper procedures for handling third-party materials and takedown requests.
To assist with journal setup and management, the library’s Open Research team will provide comprehensive support, including guidance on planning, minting DOIs, and overall journal administration.
Additionally, Lancaster University offers grants of up to £1000 through its Enhancing Research Culture fund, funded by Research England, to support the development of scholar-led open access journals. These grants can be used for expenses such as web design, marketing, and launch events for new or existing journals, whether or not they are hosted on the Lancaster University Open Journals platform.
This initiative is part of Lancaster University’s commitment to supporting open access and enhancing research culture within the academic community.