Scholarly publishing is quietly leaving the page behind.

For centuries an article’s address was its page range: pp. 245–260. That made sense when a journal was a physical object — paper had to be bound, and binding meant every article started somewhere and ended somewhere. But the page range was never really about the article. It was about the paper.

The paper is going away. Journals increasingly publish each article the moment it clears review — sometimes while later revisions are still in flight — rather than holding it for a quarterly issue. “Continuous publishing” is becoming the norm; the volume/issue/year container, itself a relic of print scheduling, is loosening and in some venues disappearing. Output is shifting from PDF (a print imitation) to native HTML. An article, in other words, is starting to behave much more like a web page than a page in a book.

When there is no issue to sit inside, “starts on page 245” stops meaning anything. What identifies the article instead is an article number (also called an elocation-id): PLoS ONE 15(4): e0231470, Electron. J. Combin. 27 (2020) P2.16, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. … 051101. The death of the page number isn’t a fashion. It’s the unavoidable consequence of the medium changing (paper to screen) and the rhythm changing (batched issues to continuous flow).

That is the gap this plugin was built for.

The problem in OJS today

Open Journal Systems has no dedicated field for an article number. So editors do the only thing they can: they type it into the Pages field. That single workaround quietly corrupts metadata everywhere downstream.

• Google Scholar reads the value as both citation_firstpage and

citation_lastpage — a fake one-page range, and a broken bibliographic record.

• Crossref expects the value in a dedicated <item_number>, not in

<pages>; a page-field value is deposited in the wrong place.

• PMC / PubMed require either a first page or an <elocation-id>; a number

buried in page text can’t produce a valid one, and the deposit risks rejection.

• Citation styles format article numbers specially — “Article e298”,

“Art. no. e298” — which a page-field value can never trigger.

PKP has known about this since 2019 (issue #4695). The core defined an internal property for it but left the export, citation, and editorial pieces unfinished. This plugin completes the chain — and does so in a way designed to hand back to core cleanly if core ever finishes it.

What it does

A single generic plugin covers the article number end to end:

Where	What happens
Editor	An “Article Number” field on the publication form and in QuickSubmit. Uniqueness is enforced per journal; a published article’s number is locked so a deposited coordinate can’t change silently.
Reader	The number is shown on the article page, in any theme.
Google Scholar	The fake firstpage/lastpage pair is suppressed when a number is set.
Crossref	<item_number item_number_type="article_number"> is injected and <pages> dropped; the output validates against Crossref’s schema.
JATS (PMC/SciELO)	<fpage>/<lpage> is replaced with <elocation-id>, JATS4R-safe.
Citations	Style-aware mapping across the ten bundled CSL styles — e.g. APA “Article e0001”.

The standards, mapped honestly

An article number is carried differently by every downstream system, and getting that mapping right is the work:

System	Correct carrier
Crossref	<publisher_item><item_number item_number_type="article_number"> — mutually exclusive with <pages>
JATS (PMC, SciELO)	<elocation-id> — replaces <fpage>/<lpage>
PubMed / PMC	first page or elocation-id must exist
Google Scholar	(no tag) — so don’t emit a fake page range
CSL / citeproc	the number variable

An engineering stance, not just a feature

We treated this as structural infrastructure, and made a few promises we don’t break:

It never touches your data. The plugin only ever writes its own value. It never writes to the Pages field or any other core field — that’s a hard architectural guarantee, independently verified, not a convention.

It never forks anything. Crossref, JATS, Scholar and citation output are amended by attaching to existing extension points — no export plugin, and no CSL style file, is ever copied or edited.

It’s opt-in, per journal. Off by default. When off, OJS behaves exactly as before.

It’s built to hand off to core. The value is stored under PKP’s own internal property name, workNumber. If a future OJS core ships the field natively, the plugin detects it, steps aside, and your data is already in the right place under the right name — a zero-migration hand-off. The plugin is designed to be always usable, or cleanly transferable. Either way, the journal’s data is safe.

Honest about the edges

Good tools are honest about what they don’t do. Two limits are worth stating plainly, because both come from the ecosystem, not from cutting corners.

Citation styles. Of the ten bundled styles, seven render the article number cleanly (ACM, ACS, APA, Chicago, Turabian, Vancouver — and MLA, after we fixed a double-printing bug). Three — ABNT, Harvard and IEEE — never expose the CSL number variable for journal articles and force a “p.” (page) label onto the value. The number is present and correct in those styles, but shown with a page label. Removing that would mean forking the bundled CSL files, which we don’t do.

RIS / BibTeX downloads. The article number is present and correct in both, but in a page field (RIS SP, BibTeX pages) rather than a canonical machine-readable one. Writing it to BibTeX’s eid would require forking a CSL file. For RIS we actually found a fork-free way to write the C7 (“article number”) tag — and chose not to ship it, because C7‘s round-trip isn’t guaranteed across reference managers, and an uncertain gain wasn’t worth a permanent maintenance burden. The canonical, standards-compliant path is already covered where it matters most: Crossref and JATS.

We’d rather tell you exactly where the line is than pretend there isn’t one.

Independently reviewed

Before release the plugin went through a full pre-release security and compatibility review: no Critical or High findings, clean on PHP 7.4 and 8.1, zero core-file changes, no export-plugin forks. The full test matrix ships with the plugin.

Moving your existing archive — safely

If your journal has been storing article numbers in the Pages field for years, there’s a migration tool — available both from the plugin’s settings panel (for one journal) and as a command-line tool (for large archives or every journal at once).

It’s a derivation, not a move. The tool reads the Pages value and copies it into the Article Number field; it never modifies Pages, in any mode. Genuine page ranges like 245–260 are never treated as candidates, ambiguous values are flagged for review, and an “undo” removes only what the tool itself created. Your source data is never at risk.

See it live

The same plugin, two very different themes — proof that display is theme-independent:

• OJS default theme: [an issue where every article is identified by an

article number](https://ojs-services.com/ojsdemo/index.php/pub/issue/view/24) · example article

• Atlas premium theme: [the same, in a premium

layout](https://themes.ojs-services.com/index.php/atlas/issue/view/83) · example article

Open the “How to Cite” box on any of them: the citation reads Article e0001, not a page range — and the article’s Crossref and JATS metadata carry it in the correct field.

Availability

The plugin is free and open source (GPL v3), targeting OJS 3.3 (PHP 7.4–8.1), with ports to 3.4 and 3.5 planned. It’s on GitHub at github.com/ojs-services/articleNumber.

↗ View the plugin on GitHub — github.com/ojs-services/articleNumber

If you’d like help deploying it — or migrating an existing archive of page-field article numbers — that’s what we do: OJS-Services.com.

Page numbers described where an article sat in a stack of paper. As that stack disappears, journals need a way to identify an article on its own terms. This plugin is a small, careful piece of that infrastructure — built read-only against core, mapped to the standards, honest about its edges, and ready to hand back to OJS core the day core is ready for it.

We didn’t want to follow where publishing is going. We wanted to build for it.

The post Article Numbers for OJS first appeared on OPEN JOURNAL SYSTEM SERVICES.

Introduction: Why Journal Metrics Matter

In today’s publishing world, journals compete not only on the quality of the papers they publish but also on how clearly they communicate their credibility, efficiency, and visibility. Readers, authors, and reviewers are increasingly selective. They want to know: How fast does this journal process submissions? What’s the acceptance rate? Is it indexed in trusted databases? How widely is it read and cited?

That’s where journal metrics come in.
Metrics are not just numbers. They are signposts of trust, evidence of performance, and indicators of future growth. When displayed correctly, journal metrics help authors decide where to submit, reviewers where to invest their time, and institutions which journals to recognize and support.

For journal managers, however, a recurring question is: Which metrics should we present? Where should they appear? In this guide, we’ll break down the most important journal metrics, explain why they matter, and offer practical suggestions on how to showcase them—both on the homepage and in a dedicated “Journal Metrics” or “Statistics” section.

This image shows the metrics section from a custom OJS theme we developed, designed to display key journal statistics in a clear and user-friendly format.

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1. Publishing Speed & Process Metrics

One of the first things authors look at is how long it takes to publish in your journal. Nobody wants to wait years for their work to appear. Process-related metrics signal efficiency, transparency, and professionalism.

Key examples include:

• Days to First Decision: Example – 14 days. Shows how quickly editors respond initially.
• Submission to Acceptance: Example – 120 days. Communicates the overall timeline authors can expect.
• Acceptance to Publication: Example – 15 days. Highlights production speed once a paper is accepted.
• Average Review Time: Example – 35 days. Transparency about peer review efficiency.
• Time to First Review Assignment: Example – 20 days. Shows how quickly reviewers are engaged.
• Total Publication Time: Example – 135 days. Summarizes the journey from submission to publication.

Why it matters: Shorter times can make your journal more attractive. Publishing speed also signals strong editorial workflows and reviewer management.

“Instead of reading the full text, you can also watch our video on this topic here:

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2. Acceptance & Publishing Statistics

Numbers also tell the story of selectivity and productivity. These statistics highlight both your journal’s scale and its editorial standards.

Examples:

• Annual Submissions Received: Example – 500 per year.
• Submissions Accepted: Example – 150.
• Acceptance Rate: Example – 30%. Indicates competitiveness.
• Rejection Rate: Example – 70%. Often paired with acceptance.
• Articles Published per Year: Example – 120. Shows consistency.
• Number of Issues per Year: Example – 6 issues annually.
• Special Issues Ratio: Example – 20%. Shows flexibility in publishing thematic collections.

Why it matters: These numbers help authors gauge how competitive your journal is, and help readers understand output volume. High-quality journals balance a healthy submission flow with thoughtful acceptance.

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3. Impact & Citation Metrics

Perhaps the most widely recognized, impact and citation metrics demonstrate scholarly influence.

Common examples:

• Impact Factor (Clarivate): Example – 3.3.
• 5-Year Impact Factor: Example – 4.2.
• CiteScore (Scopus): Example – 2.9.
• Scimago Journal Rank (SJR): Example – 0.65.
• Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP): Example – 1.2.
• H-Index: Example – 45.
• Average Citations per Article: Example – 3.1.

Why it matters: These are the metrics universities, funders, and researchers often consider first. They highlight not just the quality of articles, but the journal’s reputation in its field.

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4. Access & Indexing Information

Beyond citations, a journal’s access model and indexing profile are key to visibility and compliance.

Important items:

• Access Type: Open Access vs. Subscription. Example – Open Access.
• License Type: Creative Commons options (e.g., CC BY 4.0).
• Article Processing Charge (APC): Example – 1000 USD, or “No APCs”.
• Indexing Databases: DOAJ, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, TR Dizin, EBSCO, Ulakbim.
• Plagiarism Check Tools: iThenticate, Turnitin.

Why it matters: Indexing increases discoverability. Access policies affect author trust. Displaying them openly communicates transparency and alignment with international publishing standards.

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5. Author & Reviewer Diversity

Academic publishing is global, and diversity metrics reflect inclusivity.

Examples:

• International Authorship: Example – 60%.
• Number of Contributing Countries: Example – 40+.
• Reviewer Pool Size: Example – *800+.
• Reviewers per Paper: Example – 2.5 on average.
• Editorial Board Countries: Example – 25 different nations.
• Gender Diversity Stats: Example – 45% women authors.

Why it matters: These metrics demonstrate a journal’s reach and inclusivity. Many indexers (such as DOAJ and Scopus) consider international diversity a key criterion.

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6. Reader Engagement & Visibility

Finally, journals should not ignore reader-facing metrics, which show impact beyond academia.

Examples:

• Annual Downloads: Example – 150,000+.
• Downloads per Article: Example – 1,200.
• Monthly Unique Visitors: Example – 20,000.
• Altmetric Attention Score: Example – 8.5 average.
• Social Media Mentions: Example – 1,500 total.
• Mendeley Readers: Example – 5,000 total / 40 per article.
• Registered Users or Subscribers: Example – 3,500 members.

Why it matters: These statistics highlight your journal’s visibility, both academically and publicly. They can reassure authors that their work will be widely read and shared.

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7. Beyond Numbers: Integrations and Tools

Metrics are powerful, but so are the technical integrations that support visibility and trust. If your journal runs on Open Journal Systems (OJS), you can leverage built-in integrations:

• ORCID: Enables authors and reviewers to link their publications to a verified researcher ID.
• Crossref: Ensures DOIs are assigned, making articles permanent and citable.
• Google Scholar: Increases discoverability.
• iThenticate/Turnitin: Shows commitment to plagiarism-free publishing.
• PlumX Metrics: Offers alternative metrics beyond citations.
• OAI-PMH Protocol: Ensures interoperability with repositories and databases.
• RSS Feeds: Keeps readers updated.
• Sitemaps: Improves SEO and indexing by Google.

Why it matters: These integrations make your journal stand out, signaling professionalism and technical maturity.

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8. How to Present Journal Metrics

Now that we know what to show, the question is: where to show them?

• Homepage: Display headline numbers (e.g., Impact Factor, Acceptance Rate, Days to First Decision). Keep it simple and eye-catching.
• Dedicated “Journal Metrics” Page: Present detailed breakdowns—publishing speed, acceptance statistics, diversity, engagement.
• Indexing Information: On homepage, show 2–3 key indexes (e.g., DOAJ, Scopus). For the full list, link to a dedicated “Indexing & Databases” page.
• Always Include “Last Updated” Date: Transparency builds trust. For example: Metrics last updated: March 2025.

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9. Why More (Accurate) Metrics = More Visibility

The more accurate and transparent your metrics, the stronger your journal’s profile becomes. Metrics help you:

• Build trust with authors and reviewers.
• Improve discoverability with readers and databases.
• Increase credibility in evaluations and rankings.
• Enhance scalability for future growth.
• Strengthen your competitive edge in attracting quality submissions.

Put simply: A journal without visible metrics is like a shop without a signboard. People may walk past, but few will come in.

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10. Guidance for Journal Managers

Not all journals are at the same stage.

• New journals: Focus on process metrics (speed, acceptance rates), access policy, and integrations (DOIs, ORCID, iThenticate).
• Established journals: Add citation-based metrics (Impact Factor, CiteScore), diversity stats, and reader engagement data.
• All journals: Keep metrics updated and clear. Outdated or missing data damages credibility.

At the end of the day, the right mix of metrics depends on your journal’s maturity, scope, and audience.

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11. Extended Checklist of Journal Metrics

Since every journal is unique, here is a broad list of possible metrics. Journals can select the ones most relevant to their scope and maturity:

• Publishing Speed & Process: Days to first decision, review time, acceptance to publication, total publication time.
• Acceptance & Publishing Statistics: Submissions received, accepted, acceptance/rejection rate, articles published, number of issues, special issues.
• Impact & Citations: Impact Factor, CiteScore, SJR, SNIP, H-Index, citations per article.
• Access & Indexing: Access type, license, APCs, indexing databases, plagiarism tools.
• Diversity: International authorship, contributing countries, reviewer pool size, gender diversity.
• Engagement: Downloads, unique visitors, Altmetrics, social media mentions, Mendeley readers.
• Technical Integrations: ORCID, Crossref, Google Scholar, iThenticate, PlumX, OAI-PMH, RSS, sitemap.

Note: These metrics vary between journals. Newer journals may not yet have citation metrics, while established ones can showcase both quantitative and qualitative indicators. Pick what’s relevant, but keep expanding as your journal grows.

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Conclusion

Journal metrics are more than just numbers—they are a communication tool. They tell authors that your journal is efficient, respected, and trustworthy. They reassure reviewers that their time is valued. They show readers that published research is widely read and cited.

By strategically presenting metrics on your website—highlighting a few on the homepage, and listing a comprehensive set on a dedicated page—you can strengthen your journal’s visibility, impact, and reputation.

At OJS Services, we help journals achieve exactly that. From new journal setup to OJS upgrades, from plugin integrations to custom theme development, we provide the technical and strategic support you need to present your journal at its very best.

The post Journal Metrics: Why They Matter and How to Present Them in Your Journal Website first appeared on OPEN JOURNAL SYSTEM SERVICES.