UP Journals: Publish with Us

UP Journals is an open access publishing platform for journals. This platform and the associated publishing services are jointly managed by the Faculty of Humanities and the Department of Library Services at the University of Pretoria. The project aims to support open access publishing of journal and book-length manuscripts  for UP faculties, staff, and students. 

UP Journals uses the Open Journal System (OJS) software to manage academic journals through a comprehensive editorial workflow process from advertising and receiving submissions, to managing peer-reviews, to online publication and indexing. Journal editors decides on copyright/ licensing policies (author retains copyright or author transfers copyright to the journal/publisher) of their journals. Many open access journals permit authors to retain their copyright.  The Directory of Open Access Journals suggest publishers to leave the copyright with authors. Articles are licensed for reuse using a Creative Commons license and are registered with a unique DOI number.

Besides managing the editorial process, UPJournals is also able to offer authors and editors a full range of publishing services through the Faculty of Humanities’ ESI Press. The ESI Press is able to provide expert copyediting, proofreading, design and layout services at reasonable rates. The Press is also able to publish manuscripts in print, as an eBook or as an open access monograph.

UP Journals produces peer reviewed journals and provides support for non-peer reviewed journals to apply for the inclusion of non-accredited journals in the approved accredited journal Lists. The application and selection criteria for the inclusion of journals in the approved journal lists is available through the listed accredited indices:

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ

• SciELO SA 

  • SciELO SA indexed journals are required to sign the SciELO SA Publishers' Agreement.

  • Peer review panels
• Scopus content policy
  • Scopus /Elsevier application or suggest a title form is available under Journal selection criteria 
• IBSS editorial policies and principles
• Norwegian list
• Web of Science / Clarivate application form requires journal publishers to register/sign up for an account and then complete the application form. They have notes on journal selection criteria and content selection process
• Follow the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) code of conduct and best practice guidelines for editors

Authors are encouraged to check the latest accredited journal lists 

Open Journal System (OJS)

The history and development of Open Journal System (OJS) came through Public Knowledge Project (PKP) and was first released in 2001. The PKP stats show high number of journals that are using the OJS platform. 

OJS is a collaborative, open-source software project maintained by the Public Knowledge Project. It has a highly configurable system for editorial workflows with features. The Public Knowledge Project has produced free open source software for the management, publishing, and indexing of Journals, Conferences, and  Monographs.