A

Access control – Restricts the ability of visitors to freely download primary files from articles. Access control is available using IP address, email domain, or user email/account. Content can be further restricted by document type or moving wall. See also “Embargo.” Related: Access Control and Embargoes: Options for Restricting Content

Additional files – Files that are uploaded to appear along with the primary file. A wide range of formats are accepted, and they appear at the bottom of the article information page by default. See also “Supplemental Content.” 

Administrator Toolbar – The toolbar at the top of journal pages that is visible to administrators and editors when logged in. It contains links to Configuration, Manage Submissions, and Submission Details pages for performing essential functions relevant to the current area of the journal being viewed. Related: Log In and Access Editor Tools; Managing Administrator Permissions  

Article header – Optional text added across the top of published article PDF pages. Usually includes the author, a short version of the article title, the journal title, volume, issue, and page numbers.

Article information page – The published page where the metadata entered on the submission form appears, along with the button to download the primary file (if present). Also referred to as an item’s “metadata page.”

Article template – For Premier or Professional + Typesetting journal clients. The final layout of the published article's PDF file, set according to the journal's style and format preferences. This template is implemented by the typesetting team to ensure consistency among published articles and adherence to the journal's standards.

B

Back content­ – Previously published journal articles. We often use this term to describe items that will be migrated or imported to a Digital Commons journal site. Previously published issues of journals are a common example of back content. 

Back end – Site management pages like the Configuration page or Manage Submissions that are only visible to administrators and editors. Related: Log In and Access Editor Tools; View and Manage Submitted Manuscripts; Digital Commons Dashboard 

Back-end value – The name for a metadata field as it is stored in the system and used when performing batch importing/revising. For example, the back-end value of the Document Type field is document_type. For custom fields, you can choose the back-end value you would like to use. The back-end value must be lowercase and can include underscores (_) or dashes (-). Related: Metadata Options in Digital Commons 

Banner – The image in the header area across the top of your journal that appears on all pages and can be custom-designed. It includes the title of your journal and any logos you wish to add.

Batch revise – A tool that allows you to revise multiple published or unpublished articles at a time via an Excel spreadsheet or XML file. Your consultant is available to train you on how to use the batch revise tool, while the process of batch revising is handled by you. Related: Batch Upload, Export, and Revise 

Batch upload – Also called batch import. A tool that allows you to upload multiple submissions simultaneously via an Excel spreadsheet or XML file. Your consultant is available to train you on how to use the batch upload tool, while the process of batch uploading is handled by you. Related: Batch Upload, Export, and Revise 

Boilerplate text – The default text that appears for submission instructions, submission agreements, email notifications, and journal information pages (such as the “About This Journal” page). This text can be adjusted by your consultant if desired.

C

Configuration – The administrator page available at the site level and for editors in each journal that contains settings for controlling the options, or configurations, at that level. The Configuration page is accessible from the back end of the journal or from the Administrator Toolbar. Related: Digital Commons Administrator and Editor Configurations 

Content – The articles and other published items you add to issues in the journal.

Content Carousel – An image feature that rotates through images alongside their descriptions pulled from a specified Digital Commons image gallery. A Content Carousel can be enabled on the journal homepage. Related: Displaying Logos, Images, and Slideshows on Your Site 

Cover page – A page automatically added to the beginning of article PDFs with the journal title, article title, and author(s). The cover page includes links to the article and journal, which are useful for visitors who may reach the PDF directly through search engines. Cover pages can feature a custom logo, if desired.

D

Design process – The process of implementing a custom design for your journal. The design process occurs when setting up a new journal and also for redesigns that are available free annually to use if desired. Related: Design Customization Guide for Sites, Journals, and Events 

Design tour – A call with a consultant that explains the journal design process and options.

Discoverability – When content is easy to find via a search engine, within an application, or on a website. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the primary ways that Digital Commons increases content discoverability. See also “Search Engine Optimization (SEO).” Related: Search Engine Optimization: Features and Best Practices 

Display label – The name for a metadata field that users see on the submission form and on the article information page if the field is set to display. This is as opposed to the back-end value (see separate entry above). You may choose the display label for most metadata fields. Related: Metadata Options in Digital Commons 

DOI – Stands for “Digital Object Identifier.” A DOI is a number string that is a unique, persistent identification code for a particular item. The DOI remains the same even if the URL of the item changes. Related: Digital Object Identifiers 

Domain Name System (DNS) setup – A process that begins after you complete the site/journal setup form and request a URL for your site. You will register a domain or adjust settings for an existing domain, and your consultant will guide you through the steps. A “fast-track” option is also available that launches the journal on a domain we own (www.researchcommons.org) and does not require DNS setup.

E

Embargo – A form of access control that restricts access to an article before a certain date. Related: Access Control and Embargoes: Options for Restricting Content 

External add-on – A third-party widget or feature that can be added to your Digital Commons site. If a third-party widget is not already approved for Digital Commons use, we will submit the add-on for review by our technical team. We have more than 50 approved external add-ons that you can add to your site (one example is a Scopus badge to note how many Scopus citations an article has).

F

Footer – The section at the bottom of journal pages that includes links to accessibility, privacy, and copyright statements. A Digital Commons logo appears in the footer and a custom logo can also be added to the footer during the initial design or a redesign.

Front end – The public pages of the journal where published content is available to site visitors. This is as opposed to the back end where the editor tools are.

Full text – The primary file for an article in the journal. This usually refers to a text-based work such as an article PDF. 

H

Header banner – The image in the header area at the top of the site featuring the site title. See “Banner.”

I

Indexing – This has two meanings. 1) The automatic process of capturing article metadata in published content for search and discovery purposes. Content in Digital Commons is indexed for search on your site and made available for indexing in other resources such as Google. 2) For journals, indexing also refers to inclusion in bibliographic databases.

ISSN/e-ISSN – An 8-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a publication. A separate ISSN is needed for each medium, which is why there is an e-ISSN if the content is published in an online version, and an ISSN if the content is published in a physical format. 

K

Kick-off call – A call to talk about journal setup planning and to introduce the consultant.

L

Logo – Any image used to represent your organization or journal. Logos can be placed in the header banner, above the introductory text, in the sidebar, or in the footer. You can also add logos to the cover pages of your article PDFs.

M

Main content area – The area of the journal page layout that contains published content, current issues, and features such as the readership map.

Manage Submissions – The administrator section within a journal that contains editorial and publishing tools. The Manage Submissions page allows editors to view the status of each submission and to access Submission Details pages for posting, revising, and other editorial tasks. Related: View and Manage Submitted Manuscripts 

Metadata field – Metadata is information used to describe a submission, such as its author and publication date. In Digital Commons, each of these details is entered and stored in a metadata field for display on the published article information page. You can customize metadata fields by request. Metadata fields have both a back-end value (e.g., document_type), used when performing programmatic activities, and a front-end or display label (e.g., Document Type) that displays in most other locations. Related: Metadata Options in Digital Commons 

Metadata page – Another name for the article information page where an article’s metadata displays publicly along with a download button.

Migration – The moving of content from another platform to your Digital Commons journal. Migration steps are usually carried out as part of the setup process. Related: Migrating a Journal to Digital Commons 

Moving wall – A type of access control that will limit access to full texts before or after a relative time frame (e.g., newer than one year), while making the remaining content available to all. It is often used to restrict recent issues to subscribers only. Can be used in combination with access control by IP, email domain, or user email/account. Related: Access Control and Embargoes: Options for Restricting Content 

N

Native file type – The original version of the file uploaded to the site. This usually refers to files that don't automatically convert to PDF (e.g., Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint files, etc.), though it can also refer to files that do convert to PDF (Word and RTF). In journals, native files are usually uploaded as additional files to accompany primary PDFs.

Navigation bar – The bar above or below the header banner which contains tabs linking to your Home, About, FAQ, and My Account pages. Tabs can be customized during the initial design or a redesign.

P

PDF conversion –The automatic process that converts Word or RTF primary files to PDF.

PlumX Metrics – Combines traditional metrics such as downloads from any source with alternative metrics (altmetrics) to track the impact of research output. A PlumX Metrics widget called the Plum Print is enabled by default on article information pages. Users can click the widget to view a detail page for the article. Along with the widget and detail page, which are available to all visitors, administrators/editors also have access to PlumX data within the DC Dashboard. Related: Measuring Impact with PlumX Metrics in Digital Commons  

Postprint – A version of a paper after it has been reviewed and revised, before it has been published.

Preprint – A version of a paper before it has been reviewed, revised, and published.

Preview – An option in Digital Commons to view what a journal page will look like once it is updated. 

Primary file – The main work that you post with an article submission. This file will be downloaded via the Download button on the article information page. In a journal, primary files are usually uploaded as Word files or PDFs. Word files are automatically converted to PDFs. 

Production Workflow – For Premier or Professional + Typesetting journal clients. The steps for an article from immediately after acceptance through typesetting to final publication. Substantial changes to an article's content occur prior to this stage in the workflow.

S

Sandbox site – A site that mirrors many aspects of the live journal site, but which contains test content that is not indexed in search engines. The sandbox site allows editors to practice without having content accessed by external users. It is also where designs are first implemented prior to going live. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – A process to improve recognition by search engines of the relevance and popularity of a web page. A higher page ranking results in a larger number of site visitors. Also see “Discoverability.” Related: Search Engine Optimization: Features and Best Practices 

Setup form – A document that you fill in with information about the settings and design that your institution wants for the journal. A multi-journal site has both a site setup form and a journal setup form for each journal. Related: Journal Setup Forms 

Site level – The level above the journal where the site homepage resides along with a link to your journal(s). The site level may also include any institutional About and FAQ pages that you choose to display for visitors. Configurations accessed at the site level allow administrators/editors to set site text, assign administrator permissions, access tools for your journal(s), and preview and update the main site pages.

Slideshow – An image feature that rotates through images from a specified Digital Commons image gallery. An image slideshow can be enabled on the journal homepage. Related: Displaying Logos, Images, and Slideshows on Your Site 

Strategic Advising – A component of DC Premier Publishing Services. A Strategic Advisor reviews and provides input on a journal's policies, aims, etc. to help ensure alignment with the journal's strengths, goals, and indexing targets. Related: Strategic Advising Services Announcements 

Submission – An article or other item submitted to a journal for publication (upon approval by an editor). A submission can include a primary file such as a full-text article or it can be metadata-only. It may also contain additional files to supplement the primary file. Each submission is described by metadata like author, publication date, and document type (e.g., “article”). Related: Author or Editor Submission Steps in a Journal 

Submission Details – The page within the Manage Submissions section of the editor tools where editors can view a submission’s metadata, make revisions, conduct peer review, and publish the submission. This page is accessible by clicking a submission’s title on the main Manage Submissions page or via the “Edit submission” link on the Administrator Toolbar.

Supplemental content – Files that are uploaded to an article to appear along with the primary file. A wide range of formats is accepted. Supplemental content appears in a section at the bottom of a submission’s article information page by default. See also “Additional Files.”

T

Typesetting – A service for journals with Premier or Professional + Typesetting subscriptions. The action of applying to an unpublished article the journal's formatting guidelines, thus ensuring a consistent and professional presentation.

U

Update – When articles are published and revised, or when other changes are made to the pages of the journal, an update must be run in order for these changes to appear publicly. Related: Updating the Site to Show Changes 

URL – Stands for “Uniform Resource Locator.” This is the string of words and characters starting with “https://” that is your unique site link (e.g., https://my.site.edu).

URL label – A unique label that identifies your journal on your site back end and in its public URL. An example might be “biologic” for a journal entitled Biologic Journal. The URL label appears in the journal’s URL after the slash, e.g., “my.site.edu/biologic.” Must be lowercase, start with a letter, and use only dashes or underscores.

Usage statistics - Metrics showing how many views or downloads occurred for files in the journal in a given period of time. Related: Digital Commons Dashboard; Author Dashboard: Real-Time Usage Statistics for Authors 

W

Webinar – A seminar conducted via the internet, usually as a slide presentation.

X

XML – A coding language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. Digital Commons accommodates the use of XML files to batch upload and batch revise content.