Authors Are Submitting, but They're Providing the Wrong Information

You launched your OJS journal and opened submissions. Authors are starting to submit manuscripts. But the default submission form does not match your journal's requirements. Some authors upload files in the wrong format. Others skip important metadata. Some submit articles that are completely outside your journal's scope because the form does not explain what you actually publish.

The default OJS submission form is generic. It works for any journal, which means it is optimized for no journal. Your submission form should be customized to match your specific discipline, publication format, author requirements, and scope.

A properly customized submission form:

  • Guides authors toward correct formatting and file types
  • Collects the specific metadata your journal needs
  • Filters out out-of-scope submissions before review
  • Reduces editorial back-and-forth during the publication process
  • Increases author satisfaction with the submission experience

Most OJS journals never customize their submission forms beyond the defaults. This leaves efficiency and author experience on the table.

This guide walks you through customizing your OJS submission form step by step, from adding custom fields through testing with real authors, written by OJS specialists who have optimized submission forms for journals across 20+ countries.

If you want an expert to customize your submission form for your journal's specific requirements, visit ojsguru.com for a free consultation.

Understanding OJS Submission Form Components

Before customizing, understand what makes up the OJS submission form.

Form Sections:

The submission form is divided into steps that authors complete in sequence:

Step 1, Article Details

  • Article title
  • Article type (research article, review, etc.)
  • Journal section (if your journal has multiple sections)
  • Keywords
  • Language

Step 2, Upload Submission File

  • Manuscript file upload
  • File type restrictions
  • Comments for editors

Step 3, Metadata

  • Authors and affiliations
  • Abstract
  • Author contributions (optional)
  • Competing interests disclosure
  • Additional metadata fields

Step 4, Confirmation

  • Terms and conditions
  • Copyright assignment (if required)
  • Submission confirmation

Step 5, Complete

  • Submission receipt
  • Next steps information

Customizable Elements:

You can add, remove, or modify:

  • Required vs optional fields
  • Custom metadata fields specific to your discipline
  • Conditional questions (show/hide based on selections)
  • Author instructions and help text
  • File type restrictions
  • Journal-specific questionnaires

Step 1: Access Submission Form Settings

Go to Workflow Settings → Submission

You will see several tabs:

  • Submission, general submission settings
  • Metadata, fields authors must complete
  • Submission File Types, acceptable file formats
  • Author Guidelines, instructions displayed to authors
  • Copyright Notice, copyright statement shown at submission

Step 2: Configure Required Metadata Fields

Go to Workflow Settings → Submission → Metadata

This section controls which metadata fields appear in the submission form and whether they are required.

Standard Metadata Options (enable as needed):

☑ Article Title, Almost always required
☑ Authors, Required (authors list with affiliations)
☑ Abstract, Required for most journals
☑ Keywords, Highly recommended
☑ Author Biography, Optional (useful for author pages)
☑ References, Optional (useful for reference tracking)
☑ Competing Interests, Recommended by DOAJ
☑ Research Register, For registered studies
☑ Funding Information, Useful for tracking funding sources
☑ Supplementary Files, Optional (for additional materials)

For most research journals, enable:

  • Article Title (required)
  • Authors (required)
  • Abstract (required)
  • Keywords (required)
  • Competing Interests (required)

Mark each as "Required" if authors must complete it, or "Optional" if you want it available but not mandatory.

Save your selections.

Step 3: Add Custom Metadata Fields

Beyond standard fields, you can add journal-specific custom fields.

Go to Workflow Settings → Submission → Metadata and scroll to Additional Metadata

Click Add Custom Field

Examples of useful custom fields by discipline:

Medical Journals:

Field Name: Trial Registration Number
Description: If this is a clinical trial, provide the trial registration number.
Type: Text input
Required: No (but required if article type = clinical trial)

Computer Science Journals:

Field Name: Code Repository URL
Description: If code is available, provide the GitHub/GitLab repository URL.
Type: Text input (URL)
Required: No

Social Science Journals:

Field Name: Sample Size
Description: For empirical studies, what was your sample size?
Type: Numeric input
Required: No

Humanities Journals:

Field Name: Primary Sources Consulted
Description: List major primary sources used in this research.
Type: Large text area
Required: No

For each custom field, decide:

  • Field Type, Text, number, dropdown, text area, email, URL
  • Required, Must authors complete it?
  • Help Text, What should authors know about this field?

Step 4: Configure Article Types and Sections

Authors need to select what type of article they are submitting and which section it belongs to.

Go to Journal Settings → Sections

Create sections that match your journal's organization:

Example for a multidisciplinary journal:

☐ Research Articles
☐ Reviews
☐ Case Studies
☐ Methodological Notes
☐ Book Reviews
☐ Commentary

For a single-subject journal:

Example for a computer science journal:

☐ Original Research
☐ Systems and Tools
☐ Datasets and Benchmarks

For each section, set:

  • Title, what authors see when selecting
  • Abbreviation, code for the section
  • Policy, Description of what belongs in this section

Then go to Workflow Settings → Submission → Article Types

Configure article types:

Research Article
Review Article
Case Report
Letter to the Editor
Editorial
News and Views

Authors will select section and article type during submission, helping categorize submissions before review.

Step 5: Set Submission File Type Requirements

Go to Workflow Settings → Submission → Submission File Types

Configure which file formats authors can upload:

Allowed File Types:
☑ PDF (.pdf)
☑ Microsoft Word (.docx.doc)
☑ RTF (.rtf)
☑ OpenDocument (.odt)
☑ ZIP (.zip),  for multiple files

NOT Allowed:
☐ Images only (JPG, PNG)
☐ Scanned PDFs (prefer searchable PDFs)
☐ Executable files (.exe.bat)

For manuscript submissions, typically allow: PDF, DOCX, DOC, RTF, ODT.

For supplementary materials, add: ZIP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, MP4, MOV.

Add file size limits:

Maximum file size: 50MB per file
(Adjust based on your journal's needs)

Step 6: Add Author Guidelines and Help Text

Go to Workflow Settings → Submission → Author Guidelines

Write detailed guidelines authors will see during submission:

AUTHOR GUIDELINES FOR [JOURNAL NAME]

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION:

Format and Style:
- Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word, PDF, or RTF format
- Use Times New Roman, 12-point font
- Double-space all text
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Maximum length: 8,000 words (excluding references)

Manuscript Structure:
1. Title (15 words or fewer)
2. Authors and institutional affiliations
3. Abstract (150-200 words)
4. Keywords (5-7 keywords)
5. Introduction
6. Methods
7. Results
8. Discussion
9. References
10. Tables and Figures (if applicable)

References:
- Minimum 20 references for research articles
- Use APA 7th edition citation style
- All references must be cited in the text

Figures and Tables:
- Maximum 5 figures and 5 tables
- Provide captions for all figures and tables
- Use high resolution (300dpi)
- Place at end of document or in appendix

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

All articles must:
- Be original, previously unpublished work
- Not be under review at another journal
- Include a competing interests statement
- Include funder information (if applicable)
- Follow our author guidelines exactly

REVIEW PROCESS:

All submissions undergo:
1. Desk review by the Editor (scope and quality check)
2. Double-blind peer review by 2-3 external reviewers
3. Editorial decision (typically within 8-12 weeks)
4. Author response to reviewer feedback (if revisions requested)

Questions? Contact: submissions@ourjournal.com

Make your guidelines as specific as possible. Generic guidelines do not prevent out-of-scope submissions.

Step 7: Add Journal-Specific Questions During Submission

Go to Workflow Settings → Submission → Submission Questions

Add questions that help you filter submissions or gather additional information:

Example Question 1, Scope Check:

Question: Does this manuscript fit within the scope of [Journal Name]?
(Scope: We publish original research in artificial intelligence, 
machine learning, and natural language processing)
Type: Yes/No dropdown
Required: Yes

Example Question 2, Funding Disclosure:

Question: Was this research funded by any organization? 
If so, please provide funding agency and grant number.
Type: Text area
Required: No

Example Question 3, Data Availability:

Question: Will you make your research data publicly available?
Type: Dropdown (Yes / No / Upon Request / Not Applicable)
Required: Yes for empirical studies

These questions serve two purposes:

  1. Gather specific information your journal needs
  2. Filter out-of-scope submissions early

Step 8: Configure Copyright and Licensing Information

Go to Workflow Settings → Distribution → Licensing

Select your journal's open access license:

License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY)
(Recommended for most open access journals)

Then go to Journal Settings → Policies → Copyright Notice

Write a copyright statement authors will agree to:

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT:

Authors who publish in [Journal Name] agree that:

1. The author retains copyright of the work
2. The journal has the right to publish and distribute the article
3. The article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license
4. Readers may reuse the article with proper attribution
5. The author may reuse the article in future works with proper attribution

Authors must agree to this statement during submission.

Step 9: Test Your Form as an Author

Before opening submissions, test the entire form as an author would experience it.

Create a test account with the Author role:

  1. Go to Users & Roles → Users
  2. Create a test user with role "Author"
  3. Log out of your admin account
  4. Log in as the test author
  5. Click New Submission
  6. Work through all submission steps

Check:

  • Are all fields appearing correctly?
  • Are required fields clearly marked?
  • Is help text clear and useful?
  • Do file type restrictions work?
  • Does the form prevent submission if required fields are missing?
  • Is the final confirmation email clear?

Fix any issues:

  • If text is confusing, revise it
  • If a required field should be optional, change it
  • If a field is missing, add it

Repeat this test with different article types and sections to ensure the form behaves correctly for all combinations.

Step 10: Communicate Form Requirements to Authors

After customizing your form, make sure authors know about specific requirements.

Add information to your journal homepage:

BEFORE SUBMITTING:
- Read our Author Guidelines completely
- Ensure your manuscript is in English (or [your language])
- Format your manuscript according to our style requirements
- Prepare your author affiliations and keywords
- Have your 5-7 keywords ready
- Prepare a competing interests statement
- Be ready to declare if your research received funding

Send a welcome email to new authors:

Include a document with:

  • Complete submission requirements
  • File format specifications
  • Citation style (APA, Chicago, etc.)
  • Expected timeline for review
  • Link to your author guidelines

This reduces author errors and questions during submission.

Common Submission Form Customization Mistakes

Mistake 1: Too many required fields

Authors abandon submission if required fields exceed 10. Every required field should serve a purpose.

Fix:

  • Mark fields as "Optional" unless absolutely necessary
  • Move nice-to-have information to optional fields

Mistake 2: Confusing or vague field descriptions

Authors skip fields they do not understand.

Fix:

  • Write clear descriptions for every custom field
  • Provide examples when helpful
  • Test descriptions with sample authors

Mistake 3: No file type restrictions

Authors upload Word documents when you need PDF, or JPG images instead of manuscripts.

Fix:

  • Specify exactly which file types are allowed
  • List them in your author guidelines
  • Enforce restrictions in the file upload settings

Mistake 4: Guidelines contradict the form

Form asks for article type "Research Article" but guidelines allow commentary, case studies, and reviews.

Fix:

  • Make form article types match your guidelines exactly
  • Update guidelines when you change article types in the form

Mistake 5: No custom fields for journal-specific information

Editors must request critical information via email after submission.

Fix:

  • Add custom fields for information you need during review
  • Make critical fields required
  • Include help text explaining why the information is needed

When to Call in a Professional

OJS submission form customization is straightforward, but getting it optimized requires testing with real authors. Consider professional help when:

  • Your current form is collecting the wrong information
  • Authors regularly submit out-of-scope articles
  • Editors spend time requesting missing information after submission
  • You want expert guidance on what fields are essential vs nice-to-have
  • You are preparing to launch and want the form to be perfect from day one

OJS Guru customizes submission forms to match your journal's exact requirements, including custom fields, conditional questions, file type restrictions, and author guidelines. We test the form with sample submissions to ensure it works perfectly before launch.

👉 Get a free consultation at ojsguru.com

Summary

A customized submission form is your first opportunity to set expectations with authors and filter out-of-scope submissions before they enter your editorial workflow. The 10 steps covered in this guide take you from the generic OJS form to a finely tuned submission experience:

  1. Access submission form settings
  2. Configure required metadata fields
  3. Add custom metadata fields for your discipline
  4. Configure article types and sections
  5. Set submission file type requirements
  6. Add author guidelines and help text
  7. Add journal-specific questions
  8. Configure copyright and licensing information
  9. Test your form as an author would
  10. Communicate requirements to authors

Done correctly, your submission form will guide authors toward correct formatting, prevent out-of-scope submissions, and collect the exact information your journal needs, reducing editorial burden and improving author experience.

If you want an expert to customize your submission form for your journal, contact OJS Guru at ojsguru.com. We design forms that work for your specific journal and test them thoroughly before launch.

OJS Guru is a professional Open Journal Systems service provider specializing in OJS installation, customization, migration, and technical support for research journal publishers in 20+ countries. Visit ojsguru.com to request a free consultation.