Role Assignment ( Step-by-Step Guide )

Part 1: First Understand the Roles and Workflow (Suggested for CIJMR Setup)

In general, maintaining the following roles is sufficient and ideal:

• Journal Manager / Site Admin (highest level of authority)
  
  

• Editor-in-Chief (Editor)
  
  

• Managing Editor (Journal Manager or Editor with Production access)
  
  

• Associate Editor (Associate Editor)
  
  

• Section Editor (Section Editor, if separate sections are managed)
  
  

• Copyeditor
  
  

• Layout / Production Editor
  
  

• Proofreader
  
  

• Reviewer
  
  

• Author
  
  

• (Optional) Editorial Assistant (submission handling support)
  
  

To maintain double-blind review, ensure that reviewers cannot see author details. Relevant settings are explained below.

Part 2: Creating a New User (Create User)

1. Go to the OJS Dashboard
   
   

2. From the left menu, click Users and Roles
   
   

3. Click the Users tab
   
   

4. On the right side, click Add User
   
   

5. Fill in the form:
   
   

   • Given Name, Family Name
     
     

   • Email
     
     

   • Username
     
     

   • Password (or tick "Send the user a welcome email")
     
     

6. Important:
   
   

   • It is recommended to tick "User must change password on first login"
     
     

7. Click Save
   
   

Tip: If you have many users, create all users first and then assign roles.

Part 3: Assigning Roles to a User

1. Go to Users and Roles > Users
   
   

2. Click Edit or User Profile next to the user name
   
   

3. Go to the Roles or User Groups section
   
   

4. Click Add Role or Add User Group
   
   

5. Select the role (for example: Editor, Associate Editor, Reviewer)
   
   

6. Click Save
   
   

Note: One user can have multiple roles (for example, a Managing Editor can be Editor plus Journal Manager).

Part 4: Creating or Editing Roles (User Groups), If Needed

In OJS, roles are managed as User Groups.

1. Go to Users and Roles > User Groups
   
   

2. You will see groups such as Journal Manager, Editor, Section Editor, Copyeditor, Proofreader, Reviewer, Author, etc.
   
   

3. To edit a group, click Edit next to the group
   
   

4. Check:
   
   

   • Role Name (for example, you may create a separate group named "Managing Editor")
     
     

   • Permissions (access level)
     
     

5. To create a new group, click Add User Group:
   
   

   • Name it "Managing Editor (CIJMR)"
     
     

   • Choose a role template close to Editor or Journal Manager (depending on your OJS version)
     
     

Warning: Incorrect permissions may allow reviewers or editors to see restricted information. Using standard groups is safer.

Part 5: CIJMR Role-wise Best Practices

A) Editor-in-Chief

Assign the following roles:

• Editor (mandatory)
  
  

• Journal Manager (only if site or settings control is required)
  
  

B) Managing Editor

Option 1 (Best practice):

• Journal Manager plus Editor
  Reason: Managing Editors often need workflow control, issue publishing, and user management.
  
  

Option 2:

• Editor plus Editorial Assistant (if available)
  Applicable if site settings and issue publishing are handled by someone else.
  
  

C) Associate Editor

• Associate Editor (or Section Editor, if Associate Editor role is unavailable)
  Assign submissions within the workflow.
  
  

D) Copyeditor / Production / Proofreader

• Assign separate roles: Copyeditor, Layout or Production Editor, Proofreader
  If workload is low, Copyeditor and Production roles may be combined, but separation is preferred.
  
  

E) Reviewer

• Assign Reviewer role only
  Review assignments should be done by Editor or Associate Editor.
  
  

F) Author

• Assign Author role only
  Do not assign Editor roles to authors.
  
  

Part 6: Assigning Associate Editor or Section Editor in Submission Workflow (Most Important)

Assigning a role alone is not sufficient. Each submission must have an assigned editor.

1. Go to Submissions from the Dashboard
   
   

2. Open a new submission
   
   

3. In the Workflow tab or on the right side, go to Participants or Editorial Team
   
   

4. Click Add Participant
   
   

5. Select role: Associate Editor or Section Editor
   
   

6. Select the person
   
   

7. Click Add or OK
   
   

After this, the assigned Associate Editor can view the submission and assign reviewers.

Part 7: Reviewer Assignment Step-by-Step (Double-Blind)

1. Open the submission
   
   

2. Go to the Review stage
   
   

3. Click Add Reviewer
   
   

4. Select the reviewer (the reviewer must already exist in the user database)
   
   

5. Set the deadline (for example, 14 to 21 days)
   
   

6. Add Reviewer Guidelines (from your SOP)
   
   

7. Send the invitation
   
   

Part 8: Mandatory Settings for Double-Blind Review

1. Go to Settings > Workflow > Review
   
   

2. In Review Options, ensure:
   
   

   • Review Method: Double-blind
     
     

   • Enable options to conceal author and reviewer identities
     
     

3. Paste Reviewer Guidelines (short version from your Reviewer SOP)
   
   

Another mandatory step:

• Instruct authors to remove identifying information from file properties before submission
  Author names may remain in Word or PDF metadata if not removed.
  
  

Part 9: Common Problems and Fixes

Problem 1: Associate Editor cannot see a submission

Fix:

• Check whether the Associate Editor has been added as a Participant for that submission
  
  

Problem 2: Reviewer can see author details

Fix:

• Ensure double-blind review is enabled
  
  

• Ensure anonymized files are uploaded
  
  

• Ensure author names and affiliations are not on the first page of the manuscript
  
  

Problem 3: Editor cannot publish an issue

Fix:

• Assign Production or Journal Manager permissions
  
  

• Alternatively, publish using a Journal Manager account
  
  

Problem 4: A user cannot have multiple roles

Fix:

• Go to Users > Edit Profile > Roles or User Groups and add multiple groups
  
  

Part 10: CIJMR Recommended Minimum Role Map (Copy-Paste)

• Editor-in-Chief: Editor
  
  

• Managing Editor: Journal Manager plus Editor
  
  

• Associate Editors (6 to 10): Associate Editor
  
  

• Copyediting Team (1 to 2): Copyeditor
  
  

• Production or Layout (1): Production Editor or Layout Editor
  
  

• Proofreading (1): Proofreader
  
  

• Reviewer Pool (50 or more): Reviewer
  
  

• Authors: Author