5 Minutes with University of St Andrews Journal Hosting Service

5 Minutes with University of St Andrews Journal Hosting Service

We spent five minutes with Matt Kingcroft from St Andrews Journal Hosting Service. Read on to find out about library hosting services and how they are important to the institutional publishing landscape!

Tell us about your press/service/platform
Our Journal Hosting Service officially launched 15 years ago, in April 2011, with three journals active after a brief pilot service the year before.

Managed by the Open Research team in the University’s Libraries & Museums, the Journal Hosting service uses Open Journal Systems (OJS) to support the publishing process, including submission, peer-review and online publication.

Over the last fifteen years, over 1,500 articles have been published, with millions of abstract and file views accruing. We now have a dozen diamond open access journals actively publishing, with several others having wrapped up publication. Archives remain available on our platform.

What challenges have you had to overcome in setting up the press/service/platform?
Because we are not a publisher and instead a hosting service, there is a lot of variety across journals in terms of aim, scope, and practice. It can be challenging to support these varied needs, but OJS is well set up to accommodate these issues, with a wealth of supporting documentation to help support hosted journals.

Many of the journals are student-led. We require a staff sponsor, as a means of continuity, though, given that student editorial teams come and go over the years. This has resulted sometimes in publication gaps and sometimes has even led to a journal closing entirely, with a new journal created in its place that reflects current research principles.

What has been the response from academics at your institution and beyond?
The response has been positive, with academics and students enjoying the opportunity to be engaged in the editorial process. We have received feedback on numerous occasions of how supportive our service is, and the excellent (if sometimes cumbersome or non-intuitive) functionality of Open Journal Systems.

What is your proudest achievement so far?
Something to be celebrated is that at least one of the journals that was there at the beginning, Theology in Scotland, is still an active, very successful and well-respected journal in its discipline. Over the last 15 years, we have seen some journals come and go, but Theology in Scotland has been steady and dependable The journal has seen its recognition grow following the move from print-only to online in 2011, and then to a fully OA diamond model, and we are very proud to provide service to it and the other journals we host.

We also are proud that 15 years has passed and we’re still going strong, regularly receiving expressions of interest for new journals and all of the current journals are actively, successfully publishing quality research.

Can you share your future publishing plans?
The Journal Hosting Service is a small team, with everything handled by just a few people. It is also nested within the Open Access team, meaning it is one aspect of our overall portfolio. With this in mind, then, we have limited capacity to expand at the moment. However, we will continue to explore different opportunities, and already have two new journals on the horizon which should offer exciting research in art history, divinity, education, and other interdisciplinary research.

Why does open institutional publishing matter?
Open institutional publishing matters because institutions are often where research is happening. Libraries, museums, and other organisations in these institutions are best suited to house, support, and promote that research, translating and synthesising knowledge across disciplines and researchers into open material that remains accessible to users in their institution and worldwide.

Why did you join OIPA?
We joined OIPA to engage with other hosting services, platforms, and publishers, tapping into the support and advocacy, resources and expertise that can help our service—and open access publishing as a whole—flourish.

What do you think the open institutional sector needs to develop further?
The most obvious thing is money and infrastructure that can further develop support, staffing, and platforms. Right now, large swathes of budget are focused on major publishers. If some of these funds are redirected towards institutional publishing efforts and organisations that can support those efforts, then the sector will continue to grow and a more sustainable publishing future will be in sight.

What is the future of the open institutional publishing sector in your view?
The future of open institutional publishing, or journal hosting in our case, is diamond open access. This is thriving and blooming currently, and it is only likely to expand and grow in the coming years, with exciting organisations developing that can support journals like the ones we host. Anything, then, that can support diamond open access and develop the clout and prestige associated with diamond open access journals, ought to be supported and encouraged.

Where can we find out more about your press/service/platform?
St Andrews Journal Hosting Service: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/research/support/open-research/journal-hosting-service/