Review Settings in OJS: Review Mode, Deadlines, Reminders and Review Forms

Peer review runs on a handful of settings under Settings → Workflow → Review. Set them once and every new review round starts with sensible defaults, which editors can still change per submission.

Review mode

Mode	Who sees whom	Good for
Anonymous reviewer / anonymous author	Neither knows the other (double-blind)	Most journals
Anonymous reviewer / disclosed author	Reviewer sees the author (single-blind)	Fields where anonymising is impractical
Open	Both are named	Journals with an open review policy

For anonymous review, authors must remove their names from the files and the document properties. Say so in your author guidelines. More on the models: peer review models explained.

Deadlines and reminders

• Response deadline: how long a reviewer has to accept or decline. One to two weeks is common.
• Completion deadline: how long they have to finish the review. Three to four weeks is common.
• Automatic reminders: OJS can email reviewers a set number of days before or after each deadline. Switch these on: they reduce chasing considerably.

Automatic reminders only go out if the server runs OJS’s scheduled tasks. If reminders never arrive, ask your host to check the scheduled tasks (cron).

Reviewer access

One-click reviewer access lets invited reviewers open the review from the email link without logging in. It removes friction, but anyone with the email can use the link, so weigh that against your journal’s needs. Restrict file access keeps files hidden until the reviewer accepts.

Reviewer guidance

Write short review guidelines (what to assess, how to structure comments, what’s out of scope) and a competing-interests statement reviewers must consider. Clear guidance gives you more useful reviews.

Review forms

By default reviewers get two boxes: comments for the author and comments for the editor only. Custom review forms add specific questions, such as ratings for originality and methods. Once a form has been used it’s locked, so the review record can’t change; make a copy to edit it.

Newer options

• OJS 3.4: cancel a review round started by mistake (if no review is complete), and send reviewers a copy of the decision with their own template.
• OJS 3.5: let authors suggest reviewers when they submit.

Menu names move a little between OJS 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5, and some themes and plugins add their own options. If a setting isn’t where this guide says, check PKP’s Learning OJS guide for your version. This guide is independent and not endorsed by PKP.

Need your review workflow configured or fixed? Our OJS support team can help.

Questions

How do I set up double-blind review in OJS?

Choose “Anonymous reviewer / anonymous author” as the default review mode under Settings → Workflow → Review, and ask authors to remove identifying details from their files.

Why aren’t OJS review reminders being sent?

Reminders depend on OJS’s scheduled tasks running on the server. If they aren’t, no reminder is sent.

Can I change a review form after it’s been used?

No, a used form is locked to keep the review record intact. Copy it and edit the copy.