Public Knowledge Project

The Public Knowledge Project (PKP) is a multi-university initiative committed to developing free, open source software to anyone, anywhere, as a means of lowering barriers to creating, presenting, and sharing scholarly content. Established in 1998, it is best known for creating Open Journal Systems (OJS), the world’s most widely used free, open source scholarly publishing platform. Three distinct but interrelated activities are at the heart of PKP: open source software; research, education, and advocacy; and publishing services.

The ScholCommLab and PKP collaborate on research related to a broad range of issues surrounding scholarly communications. Our work is deeply embedded in the academic, library, and technical communities that make up higher education. Together, we innovate and experiment with new technologies to contribute to the understanding of how knowledge is created, circulated, and used, under the shared belief that the public has a right to this knowledge.

Related Publications

Alperin, J. P., Stranack, K., & Garnett, A. (2016). On the peripheries of scholarly infrastructure: A look at the journals using Open Journal Systems. Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Science and Technology Indicators. 21st International Conference on Science and Technology Indicators, Valencia, Spain. http://summit.sfu.ca/item/16763 Download

Alperin, J. P., Willinsky, J., Owen, B., Macgregor, J., Smecher, A., & Stranack, K. (2018). The Public Knowledge Project: Reflections and directions after its first two decades. ELectronic PUBlishing, Connecting the Knowledge Commons: From Projects to Sustainable Infrastructure. https://elpub.episciences.org/4606/pdf Download