AU Press operates as a fully open access academic press that publishes roughly 20 books and 8 journals per year with a staff of 8. It uses Open Journal Systems (OJS) to manage its online journals in an open access format. This lowers costs while allowing for sophisticated delivery of scholarly content. AU Press handles initial setup in OJS and ongoing technical support for its journals, but does not determine editorial policies or financially manage the journals. It ensures high quality standards through a rigorous peer review process for new journals and reassessments every 5 years.

1. Pamela Holway
Senior Editor
Athabasca University Press

2. AU PressAU Press
AU Press operates on the model of a knowledge-based
economy, to which we contribute by providing peer-reviewed
publications unfettered by the desire to commodify thought or
to restrict access to ideas.
AU Press was founded in 2007 as a fully open access press. We
publish roughly twenty books a year as well as eight journals
and three scholarly websites. We have a staff of eight.

3. OJS Journals at AU PressOJS Journals at AU Press

4. canfolkmusic.ca irrodl.org

5. AUP JournalsAUP Journals
AU Press promotes and assists journal publication through the
use of open source technology, in the form of Open Journals
Systems (OJS).
One of our journals, Labour/Le Travail, is a “traditional” journal,
subscription-based and available both in print and online.
The other seven are online only. Those seven use OJS, and
Labour/Le Travail is in the process of shifting over to OJS
management.
OJS allows for the sophisticated electronic delivery of scholarly
content in an open access environment while also lowering the
cost of producing and disseminating information.

6. OJS Journals @ AU PressOJS Journals @ AU Press
Open Journal Systems [ http://pkp.sfu.ca ]
"Scholars need the means to launch a new generation of journals committed to open access, and
to help existing journals that elect to make the transition to open access."
Budapest Open Access Initiative, 2002
Open Journal Systems (OJS): journal management and publishing system developed
by the Public Knowledge Project through its federally funded efforts to expand
and improve access to research.
Assists with every stage of the refereed publishing process, from submissions through
to online publication and indexing.

7. OJS Editorial and Publishing ProcessOJS Editorial and Publishing Process
http://goo.gl/2nP39

8. OJS: Reviewing SubmissionsOJS: Reviewing Submissions

9. OJS: Journal ManagementOJS: Journal Management

10. What we doWhat we do
We carry out the initial set-up in OJS, for which we charge a fee.
Cost varies, depending on what the journal requests.
We provide subsequent technical support (trouble-shooting,
other advice), and we advertise the journal in our catalogue. We
also carry out the annual submission of journal content to
Library and Archives Canada. For this we charge an annual
hosting fee.
We provide additional services on a fee-for-service basis (for
example, conversion to HTML and/or XML).

11. What we don’t doWhat we don’t do
We do not “own” the journal and are not officially the
publisher. Copyright remains in the hands of the journal, which
is free to determine its own copyright policy. (Many of our
journals use some form of a Creative Commons license, but this
is up to them.)
We do not set editorial policy or otherwise intervene in the
editorial management of the journal. Editorial matters are left
entirely to the journal’s editorial board.
We are not involved in the journal’s financial arrangements.
Several of our journals have government funding (SSHRCC), and
all rely heavily on volunteer labour.

12. Quality ControlQuality Control
AU Press is committed to high scholarly standards. Each journal
is therefore subjected to a rigorous editorial peer review before
being accepted as an AUP journal.
(1) Editors of the journal submit a detailed prospectus.
(2) Peer reviewers (two) complete a detailed assessment
form.
(3) Editorial Committee reviews these materials and makes
a decision.
In addition, journals are (or will be) reassessed every five
years to ensure that scholarly standards are being maintained.