Definition: A journal management system is the full operating setup for a journal: software plus editorial roles, policies, and publishing workflows working together.
A journal management system is software that helps academic journals manage the processes involved in receiving, reviewing, editing, publishing, and administering scholarly manuscripts. Instead of relying on separate tools for manuscript submissions, peer review, editorial decisions, billing, and journal websites, a journal management system brings these activities together in one platform.
For academic journals, this can provide a central workspace where authors submit manuscripts, editors manage submissions, reviewers complete evaluations, and accepted articles move toward publication. It can also help editorial teams maintain records, track deadlines, manage users, and monitor the progress of manuscripts throughout the publishing workflow.
Modern journal management systems can be particularly useful for editorial offices, academic societies, university presses, and independent scholarly publishers that need to manage one or multiple journals without maintaining a collection of disconnected systems.
What Does a Journal Management System Do?
A journal management system typically manages the workflow from manuscript submission through editorial decision and publication.
A typical workflow may look like this:
- An author creates an account and submits a manuscript.
- The system stores the manuscript and submission information.
- Editors screen the submission and determine whether it is suitable for the journal.
- An editor assigns one or more reviewers.
- Reviewers receive invitations and submit their reports.
- The editor reviews the feedback and makes a decision.
- The author may be asked to revise and resubmit the manuscript.
- Accepted manuscripts are prepared for publication.
- The article is assigned to a journal volume or issue and published online.
The exact workflow varies between journals, but the purpose is the same: to organize and automate the administrative processes surrounding scholarly publishing.
Key Features of a Journal Management System
The features available depend on the platform, but a comprehensive system may include several core capabilities.
Manuscript Submission
Authors need a straightforward way to submit manuscripts and supporting files. A journal management system can provide an online submission portal where authors enter article information, upload files, invite co-authors, and track their submissions.
This replaces workflows where authors send manuscripts through email and editorial teams manually organize attachments and correspondence.
Editorial Workflow Management
Editors need visibility into every manuscript in progress. Editorial workflow tools allow teams to see which submissions are awaiting screening, reviewer assignment, peer review, revision, or a final decision.
A centralized workflow can reduce the risk of submissions being overlooked and makes it easier for editors to understand what requires attention.
Peer Review Management
Peer review is one of the most important processes managed by a journal management system.
Editors can use the platform to identify and invite reviewers, assign manuscripts, monitor review deadlines, collect reviewer reports, and maintain records of previous review rounds. Depending on the journal’s policies, the system can support different review models, including single-blind, double-blind, or open peer review.
Editorial Decisions
Once peer review is complete, editors need to communicate a decision to the author. A journal management system can support decisions such as accept, reject, major revision, and minor revision.
The system can also preserve the history of decisions and correspondence associated with a manuscript, creating a more organized editorial record.
Journal Website Management
Some journal management platforms go beyond internal editorial workflows and provide the public-facing journal website.
This can allow journals to publish articles, organize content into volumes and issues, display editorial board information, and apply journal branding without maintaining a separate website platform.
Billing and APC Management
For open-access journals that charge Article Processing Charges (APCs), a journal management system may also include payment and billing capabilities.
These can include APC collection, payment tracking, waiver workflows, and institutional invoicing. Having billing connected to the publishing workflow can reduce the need to maintain separate spreadsheets or payment systems.
Who Uses a Journal Management System?
Journal management systems are used by different participants in scholarly publishing.
Authors use them to submit manuscripts, upload files, respond to revision requests, and monitor submission status.
Reviewers use them to access assigned manuscripts, complete review forms, submit recommendations, and communicate feedback.
Editors use them to screen submissions, assign reviewers, monitor peer review, make editorial decisions, and manage revisions.
Managing editors and editorial staff use them to coordinate workflows, monitor deadlines, manage journal records, and maintain administrative processes.
Academic societies and publishers may use journal management systems to manage multiple journal titles from a centralized environment.
Journal Management System vs. Journal Publishing Platform
The terms journal management system and journal publishing platform are sometimes used interchangeably, but they can emphasize different functions.
A journal management system primarily focuses on the operational and editorial workflow of a journal. This includes submissions, reviewers, editors, decisions, and manuscript tracking.
A journal publishing platform may place greater emphasis on the publication and presentation of journal content, including journal websites, article pages, volumes, issues, and publishing infrastructure.
Some modern platforms combine both functions. This means a journal can manage its editorial workflow and publish accepted articles using the same system.
Journal Management System vs. Manuscript Submission System
A manuscript submission system generally focuses on receiving manuscripts from authors and managing submissions.
A journal management system can encompass a much broader set of processes, including submission, editorial management, peer review, decision-making, publication, billing, and journal administration.
In other words, manuscript submission can be one component of a complete journal management system.
Why Do Journals Use Journal Management Systems?
Managing a journal manually can become difficult as submission volume increases. Email conversations can become difficult to track, reviewer information can become scattered, and editors may have limited visibility into the status of individual manuscripts.
A centralized system can provide:
- Better workflow visibility: Editors can see where manuscripts are in the process.
- Centralized records: Submission, review, and decision information can remain connected.
- Deadline management: Reviewer and editorial deadlines can be tracked in one place.
- Reduced administrative work: Repetitive tasks can be streamlined or automated.
- Improved author experience: Authors have a dedicated portal for submissions and updates.
- Scalability: Journals can manage increasing submission volumes without relying entirely on spreadsheets and email.
- Consistent processes: Editorial teams can establish standardized workflows across submissions.
For organizations managing multiple journals, a centralized platform can also make it easier to manage different journal titles, users, roles, branding, and reporting from one environment.
AI in Journal Management Systems
Newer journal management systems may incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into specific editorial tasks.
For example, AI can be used to screen submissions for potential issues such as scope mismatch, methodological concerns, unclear contributions, ethical concerns, plagiarism risk, or other quality signals.
AI can also assist with detecting potentially duplicate submissions or, in some systems, matching manuscripts with appropriate reviewers.
However, AI-assisted journal management does not necessarily mean that AI makes editorial decisions independently. A responsible system should keep human editorial judgment at the center of the process, particularly when decisions affect whether scholarly work is reviewed or published.
Alkademy Press as a Journal Management System
Alkademy Press is a hosted journal management platform designed to bring core editorial and publishing workflows into one environment.
It provides tools for manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, journal website management, and billing. Editorial teams can manage submissions through an author portal, assign reviewers, track review deadlines, record conflicts of interest, and maintain an audit trail throughout the workflow.
The platform also includes AI-assisted submission screening, which evaluates submissions and provides a quality score and recommendation for editorial consideration. AI features are intended to assist editors rather than replace editorial judgment.
For publishing, Alkademy Press provides journal websites with customizable branding, custom domains, HTTPS, volumes, issues, and editorial board pages. It also supports APC collection and waiver workflows for journals that charge publication fees.
Because the platform is hosted and maintained, journals do not need to manage their own server infrastructure or handle routine platform updates.
What Should You Look for in a Journal Management System?
When evaluating a journal management system, consider whether it supports the journal’s complete workflow rather than only manuscript submission.
Important considerations include:
- Manuscript submission and tracking
- Author and co-author management
- Editorial roles and permissions
- Reviewer assignment and management
- Multiple peer-review rounds
- Review deadlines and reminders
- Conflict-of-interest management
- Editorial decisions and revision workflows
- Audit trails and submission history
- Journal website publishing
- Volume and issue management
- DOI and metadata support
- APC and billing workflows
- AI-assisted editorial tools
- Analytics and reporting
- Hosting, security, and maintenance
- Support for multiple journals
The right system depends on the journal’s size, publishing model, submission volume, editorial structure, and technical requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a journal management system?
A journal management system is a digital platform that helps academic journals coordinate manuscript submissions, editorial workflows, peer review, publishing, and administrative operations in one environment.
2. What are the main functions of a journal management system?
Its main functions include receiving manuscripts, assigning editors and reviewers, managing peer review, recording editorial decisions, tracking revisions, publishing articles, and maintaining journal records.
3. Who uses a journal management system?
Authors, reviewers, editors, managing editors, editorial assistants, academic societies, university presses, and scholarly publishers use journal management systems to coordinate different aspects of academic publishing.
4. What is the difference between a journal management system and a manuscript submission system?
A manuscript submission system primarily handles the receipt and tracking of manuscripts. A journal management system covers a wider range of activities, including editorial workflows, peer review, publishing, billing, and journal administration.
5. What is the difference between a journal management system and a journal publishing platform?
A journal management system emphasizes editorial operations, manuscript tracking, and peer review, while a journal publishing platform focuses on presenting and distributing published content. Some platforms combine both capabilities.
6. How does AI support a journal management system?
AI can assist with manuscript screening, identifying potential quality or ethical concerns, detecting duplicate submissions, and suggesting suitable reviewers. Editors remain responsible for evaluating submissions and making final decisions.
7. What should you look for when choosing a journal management system?
Look for manuscript tracking, editorial role management, reviewer assignment, peer-review workflows, decision tracking, journal website publishing, billing capabilities, audit trails, reporting, hosting, and multi-journal support.
8. How does Alkademy Press work as a journal management system?
Alkademy Press provides a hosted platform for manuscript submissions, peer review, editorial decisions, AI-assisted screening, journal websites, and APC management. It also supports custom branding, custom domains, volumes, issues, and editorial board pages