This research project is an investigation of the Open Journal Systems (OJS) in order to understand more about the development of open source software projects in academic environments. As such, this survey is aimed at gathering information on the experience of using the OJS.

 

Consent:

      This study will look at the creation and use of the Online Journal System (OJS) as an example of an open source software project developed in the academic context. I am writing to ask if you would be willing to participate in this study by filling out the below questionnaire. Participation in this study is voluntary. You may decline to answer any of the questions if you so wish. Further, you may decide to withdraw from this study at any time without any negative consequences by advising the researcher. All of the information you provide is considered completely confidential. Your name will not appear in any thesis or report resulting from this study, however, with your permission anonymous quotations may be used. Data collected during this study will be retained for a period of five years after the defense of my thesis in a locked cabinet in my home office. There are no known or anticipated risks to you as a participant in this study.
      If you have any questions regarding this study, or would like additional information to assist you in reaching a decision about participation, please contact me at (416)-781-4577 or by email at mia.quint@utoronto.ca. You can also contact my supervisor, Professor Glen Jones at (416) 923-6641 ext. 2236 or email gjones@oise.utoronto.ca. I would like to assure you that this study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through the Office of Research Ethics at the University of Toronto. However, the final decision about participation is yours. I very much look forward to speaking with you and thank you in advance for your assistance in this project.

Yours Sincerely,

Mia Quint-Rapoport
mia.quint@utoronto.ca

By checking below, you are indicating that you are willing to participate in the study, you have received a copy of this letter, and you are fully aware of the conditions above.

 I consent

 

Personal Information:

Respondent name(s)(this will be kept confidential):

 

Gender:

 

Age:

 

What is your role in relation to your organization (i.e. professor, student, IT manager...)?

 

Background information:

Journal affiliation (name and URL):

 

University/ college affiliation:

 

Role of respondent in relation to the journal (i.e. journal manager, editor):

 

How many journal issues published?

 

How long has the journal been in existence?

 

Interview questions:

  1. Was your journal published in any other format (print or electronic) prior to being published via the OJS? If so, what format did you use? Why did you switch from this format to OJS?

 

 

  1. What group or institution manages the OJS for your journal (your library, a centralized technology management group, your department)?

 

 

  1. Prior to using the OJS, did you have any experience with other open source software (OSS)? If so please provide a link to the project.

 

 

  1. Did you choose to use the OJS because it is open source? (y/n)

 

 

  1. How did you discover the OJS?

 

 

  1. Did you encounter any bugs in the system? If so, did you or someone from your journal report them to the PKP team?

 

 

  1. In setting up your journal(s) in OJS, did you call on the help of the OJS/PKP development team when you had questions or ran into problems? Did you ever use and/or contribute to the user support forum? (http:// pkp.sfu.ca/support/forum/). How has your experience with support for the system been?

 

 

  1. How did you learn to use the OJS? According to your perception, how have other users (such as authors, editors, copyeditors etc…) adapted to using this system?

 

 

  1. Did you make any changes to the OJS code? If so, how was this process managed (i.e. did you hire outside developers? Did you use your own IT group?)

 

 

  1. Did you communicate changes back to the OJS team?

 

 

  1. In using the OJS, do you feel like you are part of a larger community? Please explain.

 

 

  1. Do you communicate with other OJS users? If so, what topics do you discuss?

 

 

  1.  Please feel free to add any additional comments or thoughts on your use and involvement in the OJS.