What's New in OJS 3.5? Explore Enhanced Features

Explore enhanced features in Open Journal Systems (OJS) version 3.5. From workflow improvement to user navigation ease and design improvements, these enhancements based on community feedback are meant to meet your needs.

Get ready — Open Journal Systems (OJS) version 3.5 has landed, and it's packed with powerful new features, improved workflows, and a refreshed user experience designed with you in mind. Whether you're managing a journal, reviewing submissions, or just getting started, this release brings smarter tools, enhanced flexibility, and long-requested updates from the community.

Manage Submissions in the Redesigned Editorial Dashboard

The Editorial Dashboard has been redesigned to streamline submission tracking. You can now use filtered views to quickly find submissions at different workflow stages, while new status icons and action buttons make it easier to spot and complete your editorial tasks efficiently.

Check out Learning OJS 3.5: Editorial Workflow – The Editorial Dashboard.

Manage and Track Editorial Board History

Say goodbye to manual updates! OJS now makes it easy to showcase your editorial board by automatically compiling member details for your journal's masthead. Just choose which roles to include and set start and end dates — it's that simple to keep your team list accurate and up to date.

Check out Learning OJS 3.5 for Journal Managers – Manage Users and Roles.

Invite Users

Invite, don't input! OJS now lets you invite users to join your journal instead of manually registering them, giving them more privacy and control. Simply send an invitation and assign the roles you need. Don't worry, self-registration is still available for designated roles.

Check out Learning OJS 3.5 for Journal Managers: Invite a New User.

Fill in User Information Automatically with ORCID

Save time with smarter user information functionality. The updated Users & Roles screen now includes a new ORCID tab for member organizations. Authorized users can enable automatic data exchange between your journal and contributors' ORCID profiles. So instead of filling in basic details, users simply approve the connection. It's faster, more accurate, and easier for everyone. Plus, ORCID is now in the core, not a plugin.

Don't know about ORCID for connecting research and researchers yet? Check out ORCID.

Allow Authors to Suggest Reviewers

Journal Managers can now enable a setting that allows authors to suggest potential reviewers during submission. Just head to Settings > Workflow > Review > Setup and check "Reviewer Suggestion at Submission." You can also add custom instructions for authors under Author Guidance. Suggested reviewers will appear as helpful options during the editorial review process, making reviewer selection a little easier.

Check out Configure Your Submission, Review, and Licensing Policies Chapter and Learning OJS 3.5 for Authors.

Use Highlights to Draw Attention to Big News

Make your homepage pop with the Highlights feature! This new feature lets you showcase eye-catching images and information, perfect for promoting a Call for Papers or spotlighting a standout article. Add multiple highlights to create a rotating carousel that keeps your content fresh and engaging. (Note: availability may vary depending on your journal theme.)

Check out Learning OJS 3.5 for Journal Managers -Create a Journal Highlight.

Other Notable Changes and More Details

There are several other notable changes around editorial workflow, Reasearch Organization Registry (ROR), reviews, Multilingualism, and some more key changes that you may be unfamiliar with if you skipped OJS 3.4.

Check out the What's New in OJS 3.5 documentation (which this post is based on) for these details and for more on what's been shared in this post (with screenshots).

More Information

If you're interested in information for development or developers, please see the Release Notebook for OJS / OMP / OPS v3.5.

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