Content migration
Get a decade of back issues into OJS — with the metadata right
Hundreds of published articles sitting as PDFs and spreadsheets. We turn them into properly structured OJS issues with mapped metadata, working galleys, and registered DOIs — verified article by article before handover.
Source formats
We start from whatever you actually have
You do not need clean data to begin. Incomplete metadata is the normal starting point, not a blocker.
PDFs and a spreadsheet
The most common case. Article PDFs in folders, metadata in Excel or CSV, in whatever column layout you already use.
A legacy website
Static HTML archives, WordPress, or a custom CMS. We extract article records and files directly from the site.
OJS 2.x or an older OJS 3
Full export and re-import into your new installation, including issue structure and section mapping.
Another platform
Scholastica, Janeway, Editorial Manager exports, or a bespoke system with a database dump.
PDFs only, no metadata
We parse title, authors, abstract, and keywords from the final PDFs and build the metadata file for you.
Print-only backfiles
Scanned issues. We handle OCR and structuring, then import as normal.
Your archive, stage by stage
How the import runs
Six stages, each verified before the next. No stage begins until the one before it checks out.
- 1
Audit your archive
We scan your site or files and count every volume, issue, and article — flagging gaps, duplicates, missing PDFs and existing DOIs. You get the inventory as a spreadsheet before any work starts, so the scope is agreed on real numbers.
- 2
Build the metadata sheet
Titles, authors, affiliations, ORCIDs, abstracts, keywords, pages and dates — cleaned and mapped to OJS fields. Missing data is read from the PDFs themselves. Author name parsing and affiliation cleanup happen here.
- 3
Convert to OJS XML
One validated Native XML file per issue, checked against the schema for your exact OJS version. Element order and cardinality are the most common cause of silent import failures; validation catches them before they reach your server.
- 4
Import to a staging copy
Everything lands on a clone of your site first, never on production — imported via the command line in issue batches. The web uploader times out at this volume. You review the staging site and sign off before go-live.
- 5
Assign and register DOIs
Existing DOIs preserved, new ones minted to your prefix, then deposited with Crossref and tested until each one resolves. Assigning a DOI inside OJS is not the same as registering it — both steps are included.
- 6
Verify and hand over
Counts reconciled per issue, every galley link tested, search index rebuilt. You receive a reconciliation report of what went in — then the archive is live in OJS.
Identifiers
DOIs: assigned, deposited, and resolving
Most backfiles are inconsistent — DOIs on recent years, nothing on the older ones. We handle both in one pass.
Existing DOIs preserved
Articles that already carry a DOI keep it. No duplicates, no orphaned records.
New DOIs minted
Prefix, suffix pattern, and plugin configuration set up to your registration agency’s requirements.
Crossref deposit
Retrospective deposits submitted in batches, with submission logs checked and failures resent.
Resolution tested
Every DOI is checked to confirm it resolves to the correct landing page before we hand over.
Deliverables
What you receive
- Pre-import archive inventory spreadsheet
- Validated metadata master file (yours to keep and reuse)
- OJS Native XML files, one per issue
- Fully populated journal on your OJS installation, issues in correct order with galleys attached
- DOI assignment and Crossref deposit report
- Post-import reconciliation report
- A short handover document covering how to import future backfile batches yourself
Pricing
Priced per article, quoted before we start
You know the cost before any work begins, because the archive audit tells us exactly how many articles there are and how much cleanup the metadata needs.
Standard
₹85 per article · Up to 1,000 articles
$1 per article · Up to 1,000 articles
- Archive audit and inventory report
- Metadata cleanup and OJS field mapping
- Native XML conversion, one file per issue
- Staging import, your review, then production
- DOI assignment (existing DOIs preserved)
- Post-import verification report
Volume
₹65 per article · 1,001 – 5,000 articles
$0.75 per article · 1,001 – 5,000 articles
- Everything in Standard
- Multi-journal handling with per-title sign-off
- Phased delivery so titles go live progressively
Enterprise
5,000+ articles, or multi-publisher archives
- Everything in Volume, at a negotiated rate
- Dedicated project schedule and named contact
- Optional ongoing hosting and future backfile batches
Add-ons
Priced separately because not every archive needs them:
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Crossref deposit and resolution testing | $0.25 per DOI |
| Metadata reconstruction from PDFs (no spreadsheet available) | $0.50 per article |
| OCR for scanned print-only issues | $1.00 per article |
| OJS installation and journal setup, if not already running | from $150 per journal |
- Minimum project fee $250.
- Rates shown are for new engagements. Existing clients and institutional partners are quoted separately.
- Crossref’s own deposit fees are billed by Crossref directly and are not included.
- Prices exclude GST where applicable.
- Rates are per article, counted from the audit inventory — not estimated.
Scoping
Tell us what you have
Answer these and we’ll reply with what the import involves and a fixed quote after the audit inventory.
Common questions
We only have PDFs and an Excel file. Is that enough to start?
Yes. That is the most common starting point. If the spreadsheet is incomplete, we parse the missing fields from the PDFs themselves.
Some articles have DOIs and some do not. Is that a problem?
No. Existing DOIs are preserved and new ones are minted only where they are missing.
Will the imported articles be registered with Crossref?
Yes, if you have a Crossref membership and prefix. Deposits are submitted in batches and verified. If you do not have a membership yet, we can walk you through registering.
Can you import into an OJS site we already run?
Yes. We import into a clone first, you approve it, then we run the same batch on production.
How long does it take?
An 800-article archive typically runs 2–4 weeks end to end, most of which is metadata preparation rather than the import itself.
How is the price calculated?
Per article, from the count in the audit inventory — so the quote is fixed before work begins rather than estimated and revised.
Will the archive be ready for DOAJ or indexing applications?
Import gets your metadata into the shape indexers expect. See our DOAJ application guide for the wider requirements.
What if the import breaks something?
Nothing runs on production until it has run cleanly on a staging clone, and we take a full backup before the production run.
Can we do this ourselves?
Often, yes — tools like tsvConverter exist and the OJS documentation covers the basics. If you have someone with time and scripting comfort, that is a legitimate route. We are worth hiring when nobody on the team has both.
Related services
Have an archive to bring online?
Send us the article count and where the content lives now. We will tell you what the import involves and what it costs.