This post was authored by Scholarly Communication Department Graduate Student Jenny Hoops.
Founded in 2012 by Indiana University Provost Lauren Robel, the Office of Scholarly Publishing (OSP) is a collaboration between IU Press and the scholarly publishing activities at IU Libraries aimed at furthering the enterprise of scholarly publishing at IU and beyond. Within the OSP, IU Press members provide invaluable expertise in journal production, copyediting, and marketing, alongside IU Libraries representatives, who provide consultation on intellectual property matters, digital preservation of scholarly research, public outreach for publishing initiatives across campus, and encourage the utilization of open access publishing models. The Office of Scholarly Publishing serves as an essential venue for the publishing activities of faculty, students, and staff of Indiana University.
With the current migration to the latest Open Journal Systems (OJS) 3 update—the online journals hosting platform for IUScholarWorks and IU Press journals—we continue to receive questions about the Office of Scholarly Publishing and the services it provides. We hope to clarify these below, as well as offer information to those who are interested in the suite of publishing services available to OSP journals and partners.
What kind of content does the Office of Scholarly Publishing handle?
The Office of Scholarly Publishing primarily deals with open access journal content, but OSP representatives are available to consult with IU faculty and staff about the publication of other kinds of scholarly materials. Last fall, the OSP helped Kelley School of Business instructors create four different eTexts for their courses using the PressBooks platform, for example. Anyone affiliated with IU that is interested in open access publishing is encouraged to contact the OSP to discuss their project in more detail.
What is the difference between IU Open Journals and Office of Scholarly Publishing journals?
Both IU Open Journals and OSP journals utilize Open Journal Systems, an online journal publishing platform developed by the Public Knowledge Project. The IU Open Journals program offers a digital publishing platform for any editorial team associated with Indiana University. There are minimal restrictions to becoming an IU Open Journal as only an affiliation with IU and a regular publication schedule are necessary. Peer review is not required, and pieces of work not often found in academic journals—such as memos or experimental art/poetry—can find a place of publication with this program. Our IU Open Journal service is an excellent place for any serial publication, including more non-traditional forms of scholarship, to receive support and hosting in order to make publication possible.
In contrast, Office of Scholarly Publishing journals are a select set of journals that are more academically rigorous, usually exclusively faculty peer-reviewed and faculty-authored publications. The OSP will assess journal candidates to determine if a new journal is a potential OSP journal. If it is, it will be supported by the OSP while IU Open Journals will receive support from IUScholarWorks and the Scholarly Communication Department at IU Libraries.
What services does the Office of Scholarly Publishing offer?
The Office of Scholarly Publishing offers assistance with new journal setup, editorial team education for journal workflow and website management, technical support with Open Journal Systems (OJS) software, increased user access and discoverability thorough indexing and metrics, and digital preservation of online content. OSP brokers copyediting, typesetting, and on-demand printing services and its staff are able to consult with editorial teams on marketing and design needs.
I’m in interested in starting a new publication with Indiana University. How do I start this process?
Contact iusw@indiana.edu to start set-up for a potential new journal. We will work with you to figure out whether or not your publication should be supported by IU Open Journals or the Office of Scholarly Publishing, and then provide you with outreach and technical support for Open Journal Systems.
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