Improving the Episciences open access publishing platform

Logical Methods in Computer Science (LMCS) is a diamond open access journal featuring high-quality work from different areas in theoretical computer science. It functions as an overlay journal of the Computing Research Repository, CoRR, itself part of the arXiv e-print archive. To manage the editorial process (from submission to publication), LMCS makes use of the Episciences platform, which is a web application made by the Center for Direct Scientific Communication (CCSD).

While Episciences is mature and well-maintained, parts of its workflow do not map cleanly onto the copy-editing process used by LMCS. Moreover, although Episciences is diligent about sending reminders to editors and authors when an action is required on their end, it does not currently provide an overview of the different actions required for each user, which may range from reviewer management to editorial decisions. As a result of both factors, a number of custodial duties have to be performed manually by the managing editors. In this project, you will work with LMCS and CCSD staff to alleviate these issues, and contribute towards better open access publication infrastructure.

This project consists of several parts. The first is the addition of a new copy-editing workflow, which maps more closely to the way LMCS models this process. This addition must be made without disturbing the current workflows available, because they are relied upon by other journals that make use of the Episciences platform. The second part is the addition of a page that lists the actions required by editors and authors, to make a paper progress through the publication pipeline, along with an email digest. The third (and optional) part is the extension of the existing REST API, so that future automation of steps in the editing process can be performed externally.