How to start your own journal? | A Complete Guide
In today’s digital-driven world, keeping in contact with the people, share your stories, articles, and scientific information with the web tech is common. Besides, many academic and research-oriented bodies are pretty interested in having their own platforms and resources to publish freely. So how to start your own journal is probably their first query.
Well! There are plenty of resources that an individual can leverage and find the way around. However, what matters is that you invest your efforts, time, and fortune in the right place and get your desired achievements. If you really want to own a journal without spending extra, we can assist you.
Let’s get started!
How to start your own journal?
Decide on the Niche
To begin with, your task is to decide which aspect you are going to target with your journal. For example, do you have a niche you are passionate about, or is it just that you want to start a journal following a competitive niche?
If it is the antecedent, you can proceed to the second step. However, if you belong to the latter bracket, we will recommend choosing a field that is new and hasn’t been targeted yet in the online journals. For example, be it health, education, business, finance, tourism, or any other field.
It is because starting a journal in in-play nuances will only enhance the competition. Besides, you have to struggle a lot to keep up the pace and top the charts. Also, it will not produce any financial benefits in the long run.
What type of content do you want to show window?
In addition to the niche, it’s time to decide on the content for the journal. You certainly have the content type you are interested in publishing via your journal. If you are yet to decide, we have listed a few names here. Your content can be research articles, e-books, traditional books and e-books reviews, editorials, interviews, and more.
Your choice here will drive your content strategies and the generation later in the steps.
In addition, journals have two major types – Open Access and Paid (membership). So again, you can choose your preferred method.
Editorial committee to Craft the Content
In the wake of the above steps, advance to the editorial board formation, a committee of adept journal people. While enlisting, the staff keep in mind that they will be driving your journal online success. So it would be better if you recruit the specialists and niche experts fueled with dedication, motivation, and strategic approaches.
Besides, your editorial board will be the one regulating your content advice, content generation, reviews, and handling the existing authors, new authors recruitment, and submissions.
The above steps are the grounds that you must build to start your own journal. From here on, you will be focusing on the development part.
Create an Online Presence for your Journal
Online presence, aka, the website is the front door every digital entity needs to cross to come alive. It means you need a website to start your own journal officially, and for a website:
First, you need to decide and register a domain name that will be your journal’s digital address or with what people will remember it.
Secondly, you are going to deal with an online entity; you must need hosting services that will provide accommodation for your website. More specifically, to store the website files. Depending on the scale of the journal, you can opt for Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, and Cloud Hosting. To do so, you have to find and sign up with a web hosting company.
After working on the Web Hosting & Domain features, next comes the designing and development of the website. You might already be familiar with and have worked with some of the CMS systems like WordPress and website builders.
We know a better choice for this work!
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The ideal platform for Journal Development
OJS, abbreviated for Open Journal System, is a popular software application to streamline publishing. So you can make initiating the journal far easier by opting for OJS Theme Development.
OJS 3 (developed by Public Knowledge Project – PKP) is in fashion in the journal sector. This innovative techno-driven OJS is a complete solution in itself. This software has a galore of features for journals.
Journal Web design and OJS theme
The first feature is the design. It has a sea of themes, categorized as Custom, Classic, and Modern themes to set as your journal front end. All these So you are free to decide on your favorite OJS Theme. Whichever texture from the mentioned names or aesthetics you fancy on your website look, you are the boss.
Theme Customization
The highlight is that you can also opt for OJS Theme Customization if you want to build a unique identity. For instance, you can adjust the colors, theme, styles, and much more. Also, the opportunity stays wide open for journal customization even later in the future.
Development
Like the design, development also becomes relatively easy with all the features OJS has got. A noticeable name is the OJS plugins. It’s just that the developer should be seasoned enough to handle the OJS Development. Then, you can decide on either one or both of your journals’ Open Access and Paid access modules.
OJS Hosting – All-in-one Solution
On top of all, tech-savvy companies like Navicosoft even provide OJS hosting. This hosting service is more of a jump start that launches your journal smoothly more than anything. You can sign up for this solution and relieve the stress with managed hosting and your desired customizations, depending on your resources.
Here comes the time when you are just one step behind to realize your dream to start your own journal. What we mean is:
Journal Indexing – ISSN and DOI
Finally, you have to apply and get the ISSN number and DOI for your journal.
ISSN – International Standard Serial Number – An eight-digit serial number to assign a unique identification to a serial publication; journal.
DOI – Digital Object Identifier – A string of numbers, letters, and symbols used to identify the online content piece uniquely; article/ document. It serves as a permanent web address (URL). The DOI code will make it easy to locate a document from the citation.
Following this procedure, you have registered your journal and have accomplished a giant footstep.
Welcome the Talent to Adjoin with you
If you have followed all the above steps, then Congratulations! By now, you are absolutely done with your journal establishment. Now spread the word by leveraging digital marketing and exclusive content marketing and seize the people’s attention.
Advertise and appreciate the content globally, city, or country-based talent from institutions, departments, and universities to synchronize your submissions.
Wrapping Up!
To start your own journal, you should be patient, motivated, and have adequate resources. If you need any help or feel it is time-consuming, hiring an expert to develop a journal publishing platform, specifically OJS Development, for you.
