School of Architecture faculty member using library's open journal resource
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Known for being a land-grant university and widely recognized for its extensive research capabilities, Oklahoma State University has opportunities available for faculty, staff and students to publish their research in an Open Journal System provided by the Edmon Low Library’s digital resource and discovery services.
“The OSU Library offers the ability for faculty to publish open access journals for free,” said Juliana Nykolaiszyn, Edmon Low Library head of digital resources and discovery services. “The platform we use, Open Journal Systems, helps journals manage the entire lifecycle, from author submission to online publication.”
The library provides assistance to journal managers and editors with hosting, set-up and training. Faculty interested in moving a journal to the library or starting a new open access journal have this opportunity, rather than dealing with an ordinary publisher. Many individuals who take advantage of this opportunity are those trying to publish a small niche or focused type of research.
“My original plan was to build [the journal] until we could interest a publisher, but with the library’s help, there is no real reason why we would need a publisher,” said Dr. Tom Spector, architecture professor and journal editor. “We pride ourselves in inserting a lot of illustrations and beautiful covers and that is another thing that lets us charter our own way and stand out, in comparison to other journal publications.”
By publishing his research through the library’s services, he was able to publicize a specific point of research, philosophy of architecture, and make it available to anyone on the internet. Without the accommodations of the library, it would be hard for Spector to publish his journal due to restrictions most publishers put on publications before agreeing to publish them.
Spector’s journal has about 150 subscribers in the United States and almost 100 internationally. Each year, Spector and his team of editors attend four conferences, one in the United States, and three others typically held in European countries. The international conferences aid the support of his non-American subscribers to the journal.
Other faculty members are able to present research and editorial journals through the library’s Open Journal System. The OSU library supports the creation and adoption of open educational resources. If you are looking for guidance in adopting a reviewed journal, the library provides consultation and resources to help faculty get started. It serves as the home for the intellectual output of these communities and includes digital dissertations, faculty publications, digital special collections, open access publications, open educational resources and more.
For more information about the OSU library Open Journal System process, visit https://library.okstate.edu/search-and-find/collections/digital-collections/ejournals.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jeff Hopper | CEAT Marketing | 405-744-2745 | jeff.hopper@okstate.edu