Why Journals Running on Open Journal System (OJS) Must Transfer to ScholarJMS
Discover why existing journals running on Open Journal System (OJS) must migrate to ScholarJMS. Learn about OJS security vulnerabilities, spam attacks, Google Scholar indexing issues, upgrade challenges, DOI problems, and how ScholarJMS provides modern solutions for university journals, medical college journals, and publishers.
Why Journals Running on Open Journal System (OJS) Must Transfer to ScholarJMS
For nearly two decades, Open Journal System (OJS) has been one of the most widely adopted platforms for managing academic journals. Many universities, publishers, societies, and independent editors began their digital publishing journey with OJS because it was open source, widely known, and freely available.
However, the world of scholarly publishing has changed dramatically.
What worked ten years ago is no longer sufficient today. Academic publishing is now driven by cybersecurity expectations, indexing precision, automation, transparent peer review, DOI compliance, metadata quality, and performance optimization. Journals are no longer evaluated only by content quality but also by their technical reliability and publishing architecture.
This blog explains why existing journals running on Open Journal System (OJS) must seriously consider migrating to ScholarJMS, a modern journal management system built by professionals who understand OJS inside out and have experienced its limitations firsthand.
The Reality of Open Journal System (OJS) in Today's Publishing Environment
When Open Journal System (OJS) was introduced, it played a transformative role in democratizing academic publishing. At a time when digital journal management tools were limited and expensive, OJS provided a freely available, open-source solution that enabled universities, societies, and independent publishers to bring their journals online. For its time, OJS was a revolutionary platform.
However, OJS was designed for an earlier phase of the internet, when scholarly publishing environments were far less complex, security threats were minimal, and indexing requirements were relatively relaxed. The modern academic publishing landscape has evolved dramatically, and journals today operate under far more demanding technical, ethical, and performance expectations.
Unfortunately, OJS has struggled to evolve at the same pace as these changes.
Designed for a Different Era of the Web
OJS was built in an era when:
Web security threats were limited
Spam automation was rare
Indexing standards were less strict
Server performance expectations were moderate
Editorial workflows were simpler
In contrast, today's journals must function in a high-risk, high-expectation digital environment. They are evaluated not only on the quality of research they publish, but also on how securely, efficiently, and transparently that research is managed and presented online.
This gap between OJS's original design and current publishing realities is now clearly visible.
Massive Spam Submission Attacks
One of the most widespread issues faced by OJS journals today is automated spam submissions. Modern bots can submit hundreds or even thousands of fake manuscripts in a short time.
These spam submissions:
Overwhelm editors and reviewers
Consume server resources
Create low-quality or empty article pages
Trigger indexing penalties
Degrade journal credibility
OJS lacks advanced, built-in mechanisms to prevent such attacks effectively at scale. As a result, many journals experience silent damage to their reputation and discoverability before realizing the cause.
Advanced Web Security Threats
The modern web is exposed to continuous security threats, including:
SQL injection attempts
Cross-site scripting attacks
Brute-force login attempts
Malware uploads through submission forms
Because OJS is open source and widely deployed, vulnerabilities are publicly known, making OJS journals attractive targets. While OJS developers release patches, applying them requires manual updates across individual installations. Many journals run outdated versions without realizing they are vulnerable.
These vulnerabilities not only compromise data integrity but also affect journal rankings, indexing, and trustworthiness.
Slow Page Speed and Performance Problems
Journal article pages must load quickly to be indexed properly by Google Scholar and discovered by researchers. However, OJS installations frequently suffer from:
Heavy database queries
Unoptimized PHP code
Poorly coded plugins
Inefficient theme rendering
Lack of caching mechanisms
Slow websites frustrate users and receive lower priority in indexing. Over time, this translates to decreased visibility, fewer citations, and reduced credibility.
Metadata Quality Issues
Google Scholar, Crossref, and other indexing systems rely heavily on metadata quality. OJS-generated metadata is often inconsistent or incomplete due to:
Poorly structured Dublin Core tags
Missing or incorrect author identifiers
Inconsistent citation formats
Broken schema markup
Duplicate DOI registration errors
Without clean, consistent metadata, articles remain invisible to automated discovery systems. This problem accumulates silently over years until visibility becomes critically low.
Constant Need for Manual Intervention
OJS journals require constant attention from technical administrators for:
Spam removal
Plugin updates
Theme modifications
Security patches
Database maintenance
Server monitoring
Workflow debugging
Most editors and publishers are academics, not IT professionals. They should focus on content quality and editorial decisions, not server-level troubleshooting. Unfortunately, OJS forces them to remain deeply involved in technical operations.
The Silent Decline of OJS Journals
Many OJS journals do not recognize their decline until it is too late. They continue publishing quality research, but:
Google Scholar indexing drops
Submission numbers decrease
Author trust diminishes
Reviewer interest fades
Citations plateau or decline
Editors are often unaware of the long-term damage being done. Indexing visibility declines gradually, submission quality drops, and technical issues accumulate silently. These struggles are not due to poor editorial practices, but rather to platform limitations that no longer align with modern publishing demands.
Conclusion of This Reality Check
OJS served the academic community well in its early years, but the realities of today's publishing environment demand a more secure, scalable, and automation-driven system. Understanding these limitations is the first step toward making informed decisions about the future of your journal. Modern challenges require modern solutions.
Security Vulnerabilities in OJS Are No Longer Ignorable
One of the most critical reasons journals must move away from OJS is security. OJS websites are frequent targets of:
Automated spam submission bots
SQL injection attempts
Malicious plugin exploitation
Brute-force login attacks
Because OJS is open source and widely deployed, vulnerabilities are quickly discovered and exploited. Journals often experience:
Thousands of fake submissions
Compromised reviewer databases
Overloaded servers
Blacklisting by search engines
These attacks directly affect Google Scholar indexing, which is extremely sensitive to spam, low-quality pages, and abnormal submission patterns.
Once Google Scholar trust is affected, recovery can take months or even years.
Google Scholar Indexing Issues with OJS
Many OJS journal owners are unaware that their indexing problems are not content-related but platform-related.
Common OJS issues affecting Google Scholar include:
Spam-generated article pages
Duplicate metadata
Broken schema structures
Inconsistent article URLs after upgrades
Slow page loading speed
Inaccessible PDFs
Google Scholar does not warn journals before reducing indexing. It silently lowers visibility.
ScholarJMS has been built with Google Scholar friendly architecture, clean metadata generation, controlled submission workflows, and anti-spam protection at the core.
OJS Upgrades Require Heavy Technical Dependency
Another major pain point for OJS journals is upgrading.
An OJS upgrade is never simple.
It often requires:
Server-level access
PHP version compatibility checks
Database backup and restoration
Plugin compatibility testing
Theme reconstruction
Manual bug fixing
A single mistake during upgrade can result in:
Data corruption
Loss of article files
Broken submissions
Downtime for weeks
Most journal editors and publishers are not IT professionals. Depending on complex upgrades is risky and stressful.
ScholarJMS eliminates this problem completely. All upgrades, patches, and enhancements are managed centrally with zero technical effort required from journal owners.
Limited Administrative Freedom in OJS
OJS gives the impression of flexibility, but in practice:
Admin-level control is limited
Workflow customization is restricted
Deep logic changes are not allowed
New feature requests are almost impossible
Journals are stuck with OJS's predefined workflows, whether they fit their needs or not. Implementing custom features requires direct code modification or external developer support, both of which are costly and complicated.
ScholarJMS provides far more control and adaptability through intelligent administrative configurations without requiring server-level access or custom development.
DOI Registration and Metadata Issues
Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are essential for article permanence and citation tracking. However, many OJS journals struggle with:
Complex DOI plugin configurations
Manual metadata entry errors
Failed Crossref registration submissions
Unclear DOI troubleshooting processes
Dependency on third-party support
ScholarJMS streamlines DOI management with:
Automatic Crossref DOI registration
Error-free metadata submission
Built-in DOI status tracking
Technical DOI issues are handled professionally
No dependency on third-party agents
This alone makes ScholarJMS far superior to OJS.
Transparent Peer Review and Modern Editorial Expectations
Modern journals are expected to show transparency and ethics. ScholarJMS integrates seamlessly with Scholar9 Transparent Peer Review System, allowing:
Documented review workflows
Reviewer accountability
Editorial decision traceability
Ethical compliance support
OJS lacks native transparent peer review capability.
ScholarJMS Is Built for the Rapidly Changing Publishing World
Academic publishing is no longer static. New requirements emerge every year:
AI policy declarations
Data availability statements
Indexing compliance updates
Metadata standard changes
Security protocols
OJS evolves slowly because it depends on community development. ScholarJMS evolves rapidly because it is centrally developed and strategically planned.
Who Should Migrate from OJS to ScholarJMS Immediately?
Migration from Open Journal System (OJS) to a modern platform is no longer a future consideration. For many journals, it has become an immediate necessity. ScholarJMS has been designed specifically to serve institutions and publishers who have outgrown the limitations of OJS and now require a secure, scalable, and future-ready journal management system. The following types of journals will benefit the most from immediate migration.
University Journals
University-managed journals are under constant pressure to meet evolving academic, technical, and regulatory standards. These journals must align with institutional accreditation requirements, indexing expectations, and quality benchmarks such as UGC CARE parameters. OJS-based university journals often struggle with security risks, inconsistent indexing, and limited workflow flexibility. ScholarJMS provides a centralized, professional publishing environment that supports transparency, compliance, and long-term institutional credibility. For universities that aim to strengthen their research ecosystem and global visibility, migrating to ScholarJMS is a strategic upgrade.
Medical College Journals
Medical and health science journals operate in one of the most sensitive research environments. Accuracy, ethics, data integrity, and timely dissemination are critical. OJS platforms, when exposed to spam submissions or security breaches, pose a serious risk to medical journals. ScholarJMS offers enhanced security architecture, controlled submission workflows, and structured peer review systems that align with biomedical publishing standards. Medical college journals seeking reliability, indexing readiness, and ethical compliance should migrate without delay.
Society and Association Journals
Academic societies and professional associations publish journals to advance knowledge within specific disciplines. These journals often rely on volunteer editors and limited technical support. OJS requires continuous technical attention, upgrades, and security monitoring, which can overwhelm society-run journals. ScholarJMS removes this burden by offering a fully managed system with modern editorial workflows and transparent peer review capabilities. Society journals looking for stability and ease of operation will find ScholarJMS significantly more efficient.
Multidisciplinary Journals
Multidisciplinary journals face additional challenges due to diverse submission types, varied review criteria, and higher submission volumes. OJS struggles to scale effectively in such environments. ScholarJMS is designed to manage complex, multi-domain workflows with flexible editorial structures, robust database performance, and advanced role-based access control. For multidisciplinary journals aiming to expand scope and reach, ScholarJMS offers a scalable foundation.
Publishers Managing Multiple Journals
Publishers operating multiple journals require centralized control, efficient resource allocation, and consistent publishing standards across titles. Managing multiple OJS installations is technically demanding and inefficient. ScholarJMS enables publishers to manage multiple journals from a single administrative ecosystem, reducing operational complexity and improving oversight. For publishers focused on growth and operational efficiency, migration is a logical step.
Journals Facing Spam or Indexing Issues
Journals that have experienced spam submission attacks, indexing drops, or Google Scholar visibility issues should consider migration urgently. These issues are often platform-related rather than content-related. ScholarJMS is built with advanced anti-spam protection, clean metadata generation, and indexing-friendly architecture, helping journals restore and maintain discoverability. Ignoring these warning signs can result in long-term damage to journal reputation.
Journals Struggling with OJS Upgrades
If your journal experiences stress every time an OJS upgrade is announced, migration should be a priority. OJS upgrades often involve:
Technical dependencies
Plugin conflicts
Theme rebuilding
Risk of data loss
ScholarJMS eliminates upgrade anxiety by handling all platform updates centrally and transparently, with no disruption to journal operations.
Migration Is No Longer Optional
If your journal is serious about:
Long-term growth
Indexing success
Security
Editorial efficiency
Transparency
Global credibility
then migration from OJS is not optional. It is inevitable. ScholarJMS provides a future-ready solution built by professionals who understand OJS deeply and have engineered a system that overcomes its limitations. The earlier a journal migrates, the smoother the transition and the greater the long-term benefits.
Conclusion: OJS Was the Past, ScholarJMS Is the Future
OJS played a historical role in digital publishing, but the academic world has moved forward.
Security threats have increased
Indexing requirements have tightened
Publishing workflows have modernized
Transparency is now mandatory
ScholarJMS is not an alternative to OJS.
It is the next generation replacement.
Built by experts who know OJS deeply, ScholarJMS delivers:
Security
Performance
Automation
Transparency
Indexing readiness
DOI control
Peace of mind
For existing OJS journal owners, the question is no longer if you should migrate. The real question is how soon.