OJS Academic Journal Website Build

I need a complete Open Journal Systems (OJS) site set up so my small academic journal can focus on publishing peer-reviewed papers right away. The installation will run on our existing server; all I want on day one is a fully functioning platform where Authors can submit manuscripts, Reviewers can evaluate them, and Editors can manage the workflow from submission to publication.

A modern, clean interface is essential—something intuitive enough that first-time users will not need a manual, yet professional enough to satisfy scholars. I already have the journal name, ISSN, and a preliminary set of section policies; you’ll weave those details into the site while tailoring an OJS theme (or creating a lightweight custom child theme if that is faster) to match our branding.

Key deliverables
• Install and configure the latest stable OJS release on my server
• Set up user roles and permissions for Authors, Reviewers, and Editors
• Configure submission checklists, peer-review workflow, and email templates
• Apply or adapt a modern, responsive theme and fine-tune typography, colours, and page layouts
• Populate initial journal information: masthead, aims & scope, editorial board, and issue/archive structure
• Provide a brief hand-off guide (PDF or markdown) that shows Editors how to add new issues and manage users

Acceptance criteria
– All three roles can log in and execute their core tasks without errors
– Submissions move through the configured workflow end-to-end, sending the correct notifications
– Front-end scores 90+ on Google Lighthouse for accessibility and performance
– Site displays correctly on major modern browsers and mobile devices

My timeline is flexible within a couple of weeks, but I’d like to start as soon as we confirm the server credentials. Let me know your experience with OJS or similar scholarly publishing tools and share one example if possible.