Open Journal Systems: An Open Source, Open Access Alternative for Scientific Communication and Knowledge Sharing

Scientific communication is changing faster than many of us could have imagined. Ideas get initiated on Twitter, expanded in blog posts, and shared across the Internet, being open for comment, scrutiny, and acceptance or rejection. As ideas advance and solid research results are established, the next step is usually to submit them to a peer-reviewed journal, applying the structured rigor associated with that process. Although this has typically meant working with a commercial publisher, the opportunity now exists for scientists and scientific associations to take control over this process themselves. Using Open Journal Systems, a free, open source, online journal publication management system, anyone can start their own double-blind, peer-reviewed journal, build an online community around their research areas, and publish like a professional. Taking advantage of the efficiencies built into the software, it is often possible to completely eliminate subscription fees, freeing the published content to be read by anyone in the world, reducing the financial barriers to a global scientific discussion of ideas and research. This session will provide some background on the Open Journal Systems software, briefly describe its key features, and discuss its place in the emerging online world of scientific communication and knowledge sharing.