The OJS Network provides an overview of initiatives and activities in the German-speaking OJS community, as well as general information about the Public Knowledge Project (PKP).
About PKP
For years, PKP has been developing publishing platforms such as OJS, OMP, and OPS. Based on free and open-source software principles, these platforms support Open Access publishing worldwide. PKP is therefore part of an academic publishing ecosystem that provides an open and research-driven publishing infrastructure.
As part of PKP, OJS relies on collaboration and exchange within the community.
Updates and support
News and updates
PKP regularly shares news and updates about OJS in public meetings, which are subsequently made available on its YouTube channel.
News from PKP: https://pkp.sfu.ca/news/
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PublicKnowledgeProj
Support
PKP offers support to its users through various informational resources and channels. These include, among other things, an FAQ, training courses, and documentation on the software in various languages.
For more information, visit: https://pkp.sfu.ca/support/
PKP community forum
The forum is a place for the community to exchange ideas and offer support, where questions can be asked and answered.
Various subforums cover topics such as suggestions for improving the software or additional information on regional networks. The software support section, in particular, offers the community a valuable and widely used platform for discussion.
PKP Forum: https://forum.pkp.sfu.ca/
German-speaking regional forum in the PKP Forum: https://forum.pkp.sfu.ca/c/regional-networks/german-topics/
“PKP Open Journal Systems Germany 2026–2028” Consortium
Building on the long-standing collaboration between TIB Hannover and the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), a consortium was formed to support PKP’s efforts. The PKP Consortium thus promotes collaboration with a global community to develop research-based, free, and open-source software and to improve the quality, diversity, and accessibility of scholarly publications.
About the community
Hosting open access journals is an important part of institutional publishing services. Many hosting providers at German-speaking higher education institutions use Open Journal Systems (OJS) from PKP, which is the world’s most widely used open access publishing software.
The OJS hosting focus group aims to encourage networking and the exchange of ideas among individuals in German-speaking countries who are currently or plan to operate OJS hosting at their institutions.
Target audience / participants
- OJS hosting providers
- People interested in the focus group’s work
Topics
- Feasibility of the service concept
- Scalability of the offering in terms of technical and human resources
- Managing the tension between centralization and customization
- Workflows for addressing technical challenges
- Sustainability of support structures
Contact + further information
Contact
Ronald Steffen (University Library of Freie Universität Berlin) – r.steffen@fu-berlin.de
Kristin Ameis (Hamburg State and University Library Carl von Ossietzky) – kristin.ameis@sub.uni-hamburg.de
Link to the community
https://open-access.network/vernetzen/digitale-fokusgruppen/fokusgruppe-ojs-hosting
About the community
OJSRed was founded in 2022 by the editorial board of the OJS journal “Soziologie und Nachhaltigkeit” (sociology and sustainability) as part of a DFG grant. The goal in establishing this network was, and remains, to encourage an exchange at the editorial level that specifically highlights the day-to-day realities of editorial offices. Against the backdrop of the ongoing open access transformation, which is characterised by a significant increase in open access journals and services, many editorial teams are facing new challenges and opportunities.
The exchange of experience and knowledge among peers aims to combine the diverse expertise already available in the DACH region to address these new circumstances. The information available on the network’s website regarding a wide variety of editorial issues is intended to support this effort and provide initial answers. The opportunity to explore specific questions in depth together during the meetings, and ultimately to learn with and from one another, offers a chance for a more personal and in-depth engagement with OJS and editorial work. This provides an opportunity to gain insight into the day-to-day editorial work of OJS journals, enabling editorial teams and service providers alike to familiarise themselves with different ways of working with OJS and to adapt their own strategies.
As part of the open access transformation, OJSRed is committed to a DACH-wide networking strategy that promotes scholar-led and community-led initiatives in the academic community. With its editorial focus, OJSRed should be viewed as a complement to other existing initiatives, such as the open access focus group, the SoGEZ Network, OJS-de.net, and SeDOA.
Target audience / participants
OJSRed’s target audience includes publisher-independent journal editorial teams in the DACH region that work with OJS or wish to switch to OJS. Originally, the focus was on journals in the humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences. However, due to similar day-to-day experiences and challenges, the network now includes editorial teams from a wide variety of disciplines. In addition, service providers from libraries and initiatives, as well as representatives of other OA networks who wish to learn from exchanges at the editorial level, regularly participate in the meetings.
In principle, the meetings are open to anyone who is interested, although the focus is always on learning from and with one another about editorial practices. Access to the quarterly network meetings is low-threshold and can be arranged at short notice.
Participants can simply listen, join the discussions, or help shape part of the session themselves. A classic format in OJSRed is the “journal presentation”, where participants can present their journal with a focus of their own choosing. This enables, for example, editorial workflows to be compared with those of the community and any potential questions or issues to be discussed. This provides an opportunity to learn from more experienced editors and engage in an exchange of ideas, especially for OJS journals in their early stages. Service providers can also use the meetings to present their offerings to editorial teams, for example, or highlight (new) possibilities with OJS.
Interested parties can subscribe to our mailing list to stay informed about the network meetings and their documentation: https://listserv.uni-muenster.de/mailman/listinfo/ojs-red
Topics
- Editorial workflows
- Review processes & quality assurance
- Funding opportunities
- Licensing formats
- Indexing & visibility
- Legal issues & data protection
- Launching, publishing, & flipping to OA/OJS
- Plug-ins & data management
- Multilingualism & accessibility
- Exchange with service providers (OJS hosting, support services, etc.)
Contact + further informationen
Contact
Jakob Kreß (Universität Münster) – sunred@uni-muenster.de
Link to the community
https://ojsred.net/
About the community
The OJS-de.net network is an association of infrastructure organisations that provide OJS for several scholarly open access journals. Software developers at these organizations adapt and extend OJS to meet the needs of OJS installations in German-speaking countries.
Note: Since the project funding has expired, the site has not been updated regularly, and therefore the content is no longer current. Over the next months (starting in mid-2026), the community will take over the task of updating the website. Initial planning for this has begun.
Target audience / participants
The OJS-de.net information portal is intended for anyone interested in Open Journal Systems (OJS).
Topics
- all topics related to OJS
Contact + futher information
Contacts
Daniel Beucke (SUB Göttingen), Ronald Steffen (University Library of Freie Universität Berlin), Michael Kleineberg (University Library of Freie Universität Berlin)
Link to the community
https://ojs-de.net/
About the community
The OJS journals working group of the AG Universitätsverlage (German Association of University Presses) provides a forum for the exchange and collaboration on journal services using Open Journal Systems (OJS). Members address issues related to quality assurance, technical requirements, and the framework conditions for these services as part of publishing operations.
In the long term, our aim is to learn from the experiences of the participants and leverage the synergies of pooled expertise. Some of the results of the discussion in the working group will be published.
Target audience / participants
The OJS journals working group is aimed at institutional publishing services and university presses. It is open to members of the AG Universitätsverlage. The group can also be opened up to participants based on specific topics, if necessary.
Topics
- Discussion on journal services provided by institutional publishing services / university presses
- Operating and working with OJS
- OJS features and plugins
- Discussion on the possibilities of nationwide OJS hosting
- Specific publishing services such as publication consulting, publication standards, publication ethics, DOI assignment, licensing, indexing, legal deposit, long-term archiving, etc.
contact + further information
Contact
Oliver Krüger (Hamburg State and University Library Carl von Ossietzky) – oliver.krueger@sub.uni-hamburg.de
Link to the Community
https://ag-univerlage.de/?page_id=2699
About the community
The OJS exchange group is a shared platform for collaborative, peer-to-peer exchange among university library staff in North Rhine-Westphalia who work with OJS. Participants are encouraged to suggest topics for discussion at the meetings. The aim is to jointly develop, document, and implement best practices together.
Target audience / participants
OJS administrators from university libraries in North Rhine-Westphalia
Topics
- Publication services based on OJS
- OJS version upgrades
- Exchange of experiences
- OJS plugins, etc.
Contact + further information
Contact
Dr. Philip Gross (State Initiative LZV.nrw / University Library Center NRW) – gross@hbz-nrw.de
Link to the community
https://service-wiki.hbz-nrw.de/spaces/OA/pages/1027114397/OJS-Austauschrunden
About the community
To make it easier for German-speaking institutions to use OJS, we are working together to translate the software’s documentation. The sprints take place at irregular intervals, and new participants are welcome to join at any time. We use browser-based translation software (Crowdin) and coordinate our efforts via a shared Etherpad. Anyone interested in joining us can contact the TIB Open Publishing organising team, who will invite them to the next sprint.
Target audience / participants
Anyone interested
Topics
- Translation of the OJS documentation
Contact + further information
Contact
TIB Open Publishing Team (TIB Hannover) – openpublishing@tib.eu
Link to the community
https://blog.tib.eu/2025/04/10/die-pkp-docs-fuer-ojs-auf-deutsch-ein-bericht-vom-1-uebersetzungssprint/
Link to the german OJS documentation (OJS 3.3)
https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/learning-ojs/3.3/de/