The University of Arkansas Libraries offers support for the creation and management of open access journals and similar periodicals, featuring the research, creative work, and instructional materials produced by faculty, staff, and students. We provide this service free-of-charge for eligible publications. For an overview, watch this short (three-minute) Journal Publishing Services video.
Sponsorship – Publications must be formally sponsored or co-sponsored by University of Arkansas Fayetteville departments, colleges, or research units.
Suggested Publication Types – We invite publications in the following categories:
student research and creative work (e.g., art, literature) produced under faculty guidance
research and scholarship (peer-reviewed as per the standards of the field)
conference proceedings (or collections of papers from regularly held events)
guidance for practitioners or consumers (e.g., education, law, healthcare, business)
Media Formats – In addition to text, we host supplementary images and audio/video files.
Open Access – All journal content must be available to read and view at no charge immediately upon publication. We encourage authors to permit additional reuse rights by assigning Creative Commons licenses.
Services included for all publications:
Hosting on Digital Commons Journals, a platform offering professional presentation on the web, usage statistics, and a submission and peer-review management system
For more information, see the Digital Commons Journals webpage
Guidance, consultation, and templates for various journal-related policies and procedures (e.g., copyright, accessibility, peer review, submission guidelines, journal publicity)
DOI registration, ISSN application assistance, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) indexing assistance, as applicable
Inclusion of journal-level metadata in the University Libraries’ online catalog
Note: We cannot provide the following services:
Print fulfillment
Subscription management
If you are interested in using our services for your journal, please complete the Journal Publishing Services request form (hyperlink to come).
Members of Open Education, Data, and Publishing Services will review your form and submit it to the University Libraries’ Administration for approval. Each form will be evaluated according to the journal’s eligibility (refer to the list above), its alignment with the University of Arkansas’s strategic goals, and its contribution to the discipline as well as to the wider community.
If your journal is accepted for publication, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be signed by an administrator at the University Libraries and the designated representative of the journal. The MOU outlines the Libraries’ expectations of the journal’s editorial team, along with the services and commitments that the journal can expect from the Libraries. You can view our MOU template below.
updated 18 August 2025, Melody Herr
