OJS Technical Support and Bug Fixing
Emails not sending, upload errors, blank pages, spam accounts or a hacked journal? Get help from specialists who work only with Open Journal Systems. We diagnose the cause, fix it safely and explain what happened.
OJS technical support from OJS specialists
OJS Academy provides OJS technical support for journals that run Open Journal Systems on their own hosting, a university server or a VPS. When something breaks, a general web developer often has to learn OJS first. We already know how OJS 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 work, where they log errors, and which settings, plugins and server limits usually cause trouble.
Whether you need OJS help with a single bug fix, an OJS developer to untangle a failed upgrade, or regular technical services to keep the journal healthy, the approach is the same: find the real cause, take a backup, fix it, test it and tell you in plain language what was wrong.
OJS problems we fix
These are the issues journals most often bring to us. If yours is not listed, ask anyway.
Emails not sending
Notifications, password resets or reviewer invitations never arrive or land in spam. Usually SMTP settings, host mail limits or missing SPF/DKIM records.
Upload errors
Authors cannot upload manuscripts or files fail part-way. Typically PHP upload limits, files directory permissions or disk space.
500 errors and blank pages
The whole site or one page shows a white screen or "500 Internal Server Error". We read the logs to find the PHP or database error behind it.
Spam registrations
Hundreds of fake user accounts. We enable reCAPTCHA and safer registration settings, then clean out spam users without touching real ones.
Hacked site and gambling spam pages
Slot or gambling pages under your domain, strange redirects or Google warnings. We remove injected files and backdoors and close the hole.
Plugin and theme conflicts
A plugin or theme stops working after an update, or breaks the editorial dashboard. We find the conflict and update, patch or replace it.
Upgrade failures
An upgrade stopped halfway or the site broke afterwards. We restore from backup if needed and complete the upgrade properly.
DOI and Crossref deposit errors
DOIs not registering, failed deposits or wrong metadata. We check the DOI prefix, plugin settings, credentials and the deposit messages.
Slow site
Pages take seconds to load. Often caused by heavy bot traffic, an undersized server, missing caching or a large database that needs attention.
SSL and redirect issues
"Not secure" warnings, mixed content, redirect loops or broken links after moving to HTTPS or a new domain.
Scheduled tasks not running
Reminders, statistics or queued jobs silently stop. We set up cron correctly for your OJS version and confirm the tasks run.
Want to try first yourself? Our free guide to common OJS errors and how to fix them covers the most frequent issues, and the spam registrations guide walks through reCAPTCHA and safe clean-up.
Emergency help for hacked or down OJS journals
If your journal is offline, showing spam pages or flagged by Google, act quickly: search engines may start indexing the spam.
What to do right now
- Do not delete files at random. Take a copy of the site files and database as they are, so the cause can be investigated.
- Change your hosting, database and OJS administrator passwords.
- Message us on WhatsApp (+91-9625801660) with your journal URL and what you are seeing.
A proper clean-up means finding every injected file and backdoor, checking the database for added admin accounts, updating OJS and plugins, and then asking Google to recrawl the cleaned pages. Our hacked OJS site cleanup guide explains each step in detail.
Ongoing OJS maintenance and support
Many emergencies are prevented by routine care. With ongoing OJS technical support we look after:
- Updates: applying OJS maintenance releases and plugin updates after testing them.
- Security patches: following PKP security announcements and applying fixes promptly.
- Backup checks: confirming that backups of the database and files directory actually exist and can be restored.
- Monitoring: uptime, SSL certificate expiry, email delivery and scheduled tasks.
- Housekeeping: removing spam accounts and watching for unusual files or logins.
If your OJS version is approaching the end of its support, we will plan an OJS upgrade or migration with you. If you would rather not manage the server at all, see managed OJS hosting.
How our OJS technical support works
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Tell us the problem
Send the details listed below through the contact page, email or WhatsApp.
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Diagnosis
We reproduce the issue and read the PHP, web server and OJS logs to find the cause, not just the symptom.
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Plan and approval
We explain what is wrong and what we propose to change. Nothing is changed without your agreement.
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Backup, then fix
We back up files and the database first. Risky changes are tested on a staging copy before touching the live journal.
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Test and explain
We confirm the fix works, write down what was changed, and suggest how to stop the problem coming back.
What information to send us
The more of this you include, the faster we can help:
| Information | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| OJS version | In OJS 3.x, log in as site administrator and open Administration › System Information. |
| PHP version and hosting type | Shown on the same System Information page, or in your hosting control panel. Tell us if it is shared hosting, a VPS or a university server. |
| Error message or screenshot | The exact text, the page URL where it happens and what you clicked before it appeared. |
| Recent changes | Any upgrade, new plugin or theme, PHP version change, server move or domain change shortly before the problem started. |
| Access you can provide | OJS admin account, hosting panel, SFTP/SSH or database access, or the contact person in your IT team. |
How we handle your access and credentials
Your OJS installation holds unpublished manuscripts and reviewer identities, so access is treated with care:
- Least privilege: we ask only for the access the task needs. A settings problem may need only an OJS admin account, not the server.
- Temporary accounts: where possible, create a separate account for us rather than sharing your own, and disable it when the work is finished.
- Safe sharing: do not paste passwords into your first message. We will agree a safer way to share them.
- Afterwards: we recommend changing any passwords you shared once the job is complete.
Response times
We reply to every support request within 24 hours. For urgent issues, such as a journal that is down, hacked or blocking an issue release, contact us on WhatsApp. We tell you how long the fix is likely to take once we have diagnosed the problem, rather than guessing in advance.
If DOIs are failing, our DOI and Crossref setup guide lists the settings to check.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly do you respond to OJS support requests?
We reply to every support request within 24 hours. If your journal is down, hacked or you are facing an urgent deadline, message us on WhatsApp so we see it straight away. How long the fix takes depends on the problem; we tell you once we have diagnosed it.
Can you fix my OJS problem remotely?
Yes. All OJS technical support is done remotely. Depending on the problem we need an OJS administrator account, access to your hosting control panel (for example cPanel), SFTP or SSH, or a combination. If your university IT team manages the server, we can work alongside them and give them exact instructions instead.
OJS is not sending emails. Can you fix that?
Yes, it is one of the most common OJS problems. The cause is usually the mail settings in config.inc.php, a host that blocks outgoing mail, or missing SPF and DKIM records, which push messages into spam. Our guide to fixing OJS email problems explains the checks, and we can do them for you.
Our journal is showing gambling or slot pages in Google. What should we do?
That usually means the site has been compromised and spam pages or a backdoor were injected. Do not simply delete files you do not recognise: take a copy first, change your hosting and OJS admin passwords, and contact us. Our hacked OJS cleanup guide explains the full recovery process.
Do you support old OJS versions such as 2.x or 3.1?
We can diagnose and stabilise older versions, but PKP currently maintains only the OJS 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 release lines. Older versions no longer receive security fixes, which makes them easier targets for attackers. In most cases we recommend an OJS upgrade as the long-term fix.
Do you offer ongoing OJS maintenance, not just one-off fixes?
Yes. Ongoing maintenance covers OJS and plugin updates, security patches, backup checks, monitoring and spam clean-up. If you also want the server looked after, our managed OJS hosting includes that.
Is it safe to give you access to our server?
We ask only for the access a task needs, prefer temporary accounts created just for us, and recommend you remove them or change passwords when the work is done. Please do not send passwords in your first message; we will agree a safer way to share them.
Are you part of PKP, the team that develops OJS?
No. OJS Academy is an independent OJS support provider. PKP develops OJS and runs the free PKP Community Forum, which is a good place to search for known issues.
Get your OJS journal working again
Send us your OJS version, the error and what changed recently. We reply within 24 hours, and urgent issues can come straight to WhatsApp.
