Extending OJS into small magazines: The OMMM Project

At the CCSP, we have been exploring the possibilities of using open source, journal management software OJS to run small, independent magazines. To what extent can the editorial process embodied in OJS be adapted and loosened to serve the known needs of small magazines. Conversely, to what extent could this functionality be addressed starting with much simpler, less formalized platforms such as wikis, blogs, and open-ended CMS tools, adding structure and constraint as needed. Small magazines share many characteristics with journals: they have well-known communities of contributors, well-defined editorial and production processes, and are interested in publishing online as well as in print. There are also significant differences. One obvious difference is peer review, but this may not prove to be the most significant. Rather, focusing on the underlying model of the text and the author, and what each contributes to the larger publication and discourse reveals interesting assumptions underlying the both publishing operations and software systems. A set of requirements for online magazine publishing systems is proposed, with implications for the world of scholarly communication as well.