Looking for a new publisher for your Open Access journal, transitioning from a print subscription journal to online Open Access, or starting a new Open Access journal? We publish over 30 scholarly, peer-reviewed online journals with partners from the Pitt community as well as scholars from around the world. Because we're committed to helping scholarly communities share knowledge through open and responsible collaboration, we provide incentives to promote Open Access to research while subsidizing the costs of electronic publishing.

Because we're committed to helping scholarly communities share knowledge through open and responsible collaboration, we provide incentives to promote Open Access to research while subsidizing the costs of electronic publishing.

Our Mission

Our mission is to support researchers in knowledge production, enable the rapid sharing of new research and provide Open Access to scholarly information. Through supporting innovative publishing services with our global partners in scholarly communication, we aim to improve the production and sharing of scholarly research.

Our Program

• Promotes Open Access journal publishing services at a reasonable cost
• Allows easy collaboration among authors, editors, and reviewers regardless of location through a user-friendly, sustainable web interface
• Enhances the visibility, searchability, and navigation of publications by helping journals appear in various indexing databases
• Incorporates innovative and sustainable technologies to support scholarly publishing

Our Publication Policies

• Editorial Content
• Peer Review
• Advertising
• Research Ethics
• Informed Consent
• Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

Publisher Services

Our services for journal editorial teams include:

• ISSN registration
• Graphic design
• Training in and support for OJS software
• Consultation on editorial workflow and management
• Assistance with adding back issues for existing journals
• Assignment of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)
• Metadata quality control at the time of publication
• Advice on publishing standards, best practices, and ethics
• Statistics (OJS journal statistics, Google Analytics, Plum Analytics)
• Assistance in gaining recognition as a scholarly journal (i.e., discoverability in Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), OAI-PMH, EBSCO Discovery Service, and other major search indexes)
• Digital preservation using the LOCKSS system

Publication Selection Criteria

We are seeking partners from the Pitt community who:

• Ensure quality through a rigorous peer-review process
• Support Open Access to scholarly research
• Are supported by an internationally recognized editorial board
• Possess the staff resources needed to ensure timely publication
• Solicit new original scholarly research through an open call for papers
• Practice selectivity regarding published content

The University Library System, University of Pittsburgh is a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), the Library Publishing Coalition, and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition.

Forms and Documentation

• Journal Proposal Form
• Standard Author Copyright Agreement