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Academic Journal Website Development

Journal website development pairs an OJS installation with a complete public-facing presentation layer — homepage, about pages, editorial board pages, author guidelines, and issue archives — designed around your journal's identity rather than OJS's unstyled default theme, while keeping submission and review workflows fully functional.

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OJS 3.5.0-5 LTS OJS 3.4.0-10 OJS 3.3.0-22 LTS Verified 2026-07-23

Who This Is For

New journals launching a public presence for the first time
Journals still running OJS's unstyled default theme
Publishers who need editorial board, author-guideline, and policy pages built out properly
Journals that need a public site consistent with a parent institution's branding

Common Problems This Solves

A journal that looks unfinished because it's running OJS's default theme with no customization
Missing or scattered author guidelines, editorial policies, and board information
A public site that doesn't reflect the publisher's or institution's visual identity
Content that's hard for prospective authors and readers to navigate

What's Included

Full site structure: homepage, about, editorial board, author guidelines, policies, archive

Custom OJS theme matched to your brand (built on top of our Theme Design service where needed)

Content migration from an existing site, if applicable

Mobile-first, accessible layout following WCAG 2.2 AA practices

Structured data and basic technical SEO setup

Editorial team training on managing static content pages

How the Process Works

Content & structure planning

We map out every page your journal needs — not just a homepage — including policy and board pages.

Design direction

A visual direction is agreed before development starts, based on your existing brand or a fresh identity.

Build on staging

The full site is built and populated on a staging environment for review.

Content review

Your editorial team reviews every page for accuracy before launch.

Launch

We coordinate DNS/domain cutover (if applicable) and go live during a planned window.

Handover training

A short session to show your team how to update static pages independently.

Access & Requirements

Domain and hosting access (or use of our OJS Hosting service)
Brand assets (logo, colors, fonts) if an identity already exists
Existing editorial board, policy, and guideline content to migrate
Admin access to the OJS installation

Realistic Benefits

A public site that reads as a credible, established journal rather than a default install
Content organized so prospective authors can find guidelines without asking the editor directly
A structure built to accommodate growth — more issues, more board members, more sections

Limitations & Exclusions

This service covers the presentation layer and content structure, not custom submission-workflow logic (see OJS Development)
Full rebrands involving new logo/identity design are typically handled by a design partner; we implement the visual system in OJS
Content writing (author guidelines, editorial policy text) is the journal's responsibility unless separately scoped

Related Integrations

Google Scholar & Indexing DOI & Crossref

Documented, Not Improvised

Every engagement follows a written scope, a staging environment before production changes, and a validation checklist before anything is marked complete. Project write-ups are published as case studies once a client approves sharing them.

View case studies

Pricing for this service

Priced by site scope — number of pages, content migration volume, and theme complexity.

View Pricing Guidance

Frequently Asked Questions

Theme design focuses specifically on the visual theme layer. Journal website development is broader — it includes site structure, content pages, migration, and SEO basics, and typically includes a custom theme as part of the build.

Yes, provided we have access to the existing site or its content export. We'll flag anything that can't be cleanly migrated before starting.

Yes — this service covers the presentation layer. Editorial workflow logic isn't changed unless separately scoped as OJS Development work.

No — that content should come from your editorial team, since it reflects real policy decisions. We'll structure and present it correctly once you provide it.

Yes. Provide your brand assets and guidelines and we'll build within them.

Related Services

Related Resources

Written by the CyberDairy OJS Engineering Team

Technically reviewed by: Senior OJS Developer

Last updated 2026-07-23

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Ready to talk about Journal Website Development?

Tell us about your journal and current setup — we'll respond with a scoped recommendation.