FIU Digital Commons

Journals should be open access compliant

The intention is to provide open access for all journals that are published in FIU's Digital Commons. Priority support will be given for journals that are open access immediately upon publication and follow peer-review procedures. The library staff will work with departments that seek to have a subscription-based journal on a case by case basis.

Journals should be considered ongoing in nature

We want to ensure the sustainability of all journals thus all requests must include one member of the editorial team that will be considered the managing editor. For student journals, a faculty member is required to sit on the editorial board.

All requests to start a journal must be accompanied by a completed request form which includes:

• proposed name for the journal
• description of the journal including the aims and scope
• frequency of publication
• name of the faculty member or staff member who is initiating the request and who will serve as the managing editor

Peer reviewed journals should have an editorial board

An editorial board should be designated to serve as the body overseeing the editorial policies, and to manage the peer review procedures. If the editorial board is comprised of students, at least one faculty member must be on the editorial board to help ensure continuity. The editorial board members will be posted on the journal information page. We encourage composition of boards that include faculty, staff, and students.

Digital Commons publishing platform is recommended

We encourage and strongly recommend the full use of the publishing features available in the Digital Commons to produce new journals. Library staff will work with faculty, students, and staff for appropriate training in using all the features for electronic publishing. The review, editing, and speed of publication are greatly enhanced by using these features.

Authors retain their copyright

All authors of individual articles retain their copyright to the works submitted; however, all submissions become a permanent part of the Digital Commons collections. We cannot honor requests to remove or suppress content, unless it is for reasons of copyright infringement or other intellectual property violation. All authors must sign an agreement form prior to publication.

Advertising and promotion is the responsibility of the publishing department

Publishing entities are responsible for the advertising and promotion of their journal.

Approval of requests

All requests will be reviewed by the Digital Commons Coordinator. In order to allow sufficient time, please submit requests at least two months prior to requesting the start of a journal.

Library responsibilities

Upon approval, the library staff will:

• set up the journal site and provide training as needed
• submit information on the journal to the Directory of Open Access Journals http://www.doaj.org/
• submit a request for an ISSN to http://www.loc.gov/issn/

Discontinuation of a Journal

If no new content or issues are produced for two consecutive years, the journal will be considered to have “ceased publication.” The Digital Commons Coordinator will contact the department chair/head of the department and confirm that the journal is no longer being published and appropriate notices will be placed in the Digital Commons and in the catalog record.

Overview

Digital Commons is a publishing platform that allows for many types of publications in an electronic and Open Access environment and with many levels of involvement.

Library support services include:

• Consultation and training
• DOI creation
• ISSN registration
• Continued support after launch

The system and library does not:

• Provide copyediting/formatting functionality
• Plagiarism checks
• Design
• Marketing services/content recruitment

Phases of Journal Development

Phase 1: Meet with IR coordinator to create a scope of work for your journal.

New editors and existing editorial boards will meet with Digital Commons staff to discuss the journal and review:

• Institutional policies for hosting journals in Digital Commons.
• Desired launch date
• Rights management/copyright

Phase 2: Design

In consultation with Digital Commons staff, journal editors will provide detailed design specifications for the journal. This includes colors, logo, typography, and layout. Digital Commons journals are based on a template. Bepress, the Digital Commons vendor,  provides design services and will create a journal site design based on the design specifications provided by the editors and within the template parameters.

BePress designers will provide 3 iterations of the design at no cost to the journal editors. Therefore, it is important to be as specific and provide as much design direction as possible. The designers will provide a mockup of the site and editors will have an opportunity to review and provide additional feedback to the designers.

See more about the Digital Commons Design Specifications.

Phase 3: Demo and Training

Once the design has been approved by the editors, a demo site is created. This demo site will provide editors an opportunity to work and test the site. This demo site will also be used for training purposes. All editors will receive training on the demo journal site before it is launched.

Site text, including “about the journal”, submission instructions, information about the editorial board, and journal policies should be added to the demo site before launch.

Phase 4: Launch

Once the editors have been trained and the site text has been added, the journal is ready to be launched. After the journal is launched, it is ready to receive submissions.

Class, Race and Corporate Power (SIPPA)

Hemisphere (LACC)

Hospitality Review (Hospitality)

Inspicio (CARTA)

McNair Journal (McNair Program)

Revista Electrónica Leer, Escribir y Descubrir (School of Education and Human Development)