Editorial XML Production: A Guide for Journal Directors

As director or editor-in-chief of a scientific journal, you make decisions that determine the publication's visibility, sustainability, and reputation. Editorial XML production—transforming manuscripts into JATS-compliant structured articles—is one of those strategic decisions that many directors fully delegate to technical staff or postpone indefinitely. This pillar guide provides the framework to decide, plan, and supervise XML production without becoming a technical expert.

Why XML Is a Director's Decision, Not Just Production

XML production directly impacts editorial objectives you supervise:

Postponing XML is not neutral: it keeps the journal invisible to ecosystems that are already standard in its discipline.

Three XML Production Strategies

Strategy 1: Internal Production

Your journal develops XML capacity within the editorial team.

Advantages: Full process control, low marginal cost once established, institutional knowledge accumulation.

Disadvantages: Initial training investment (3-6 months), key person dependency, tools and validation require configuration.

Suitable for: Journals with 30+ articles/year, stable staff, and training budget.

Strategy 2: Complete Outsourcing

A provider converts manuscripts to validated XML and delivers repository-ready packages.

Advantages: No internal learning curve, consistent quality from first article, scalable without hiring.

Disadvantages: Recurring per-article cost, less control over editorial conventions, provider dependency.

Suitable for: Journals with fewer than 20 articles/year, volunteer teams, or first SciELO submission.

Strategy 3: Hybrid Model

Internal metadata and basic structure production; outsourcing complex conversion (references, tables, final validation).

Advantages: Cost/control balance, progressive JATS learning, volume flexibility.

Disadvantages: Requires coordination between internal and external teams with clearly defined delivery interfaces.

Suitable for: Journals transitioning toward internal capacity.

Assessing Your Journal's Maturity

Level 0: PDF Only

Publish exclusively in PDF without electronic ISSN or formalized OA policy. Action: Regularize ISSN and OA policy before considering XML.

Level 1: PDF + Basic Metadata

Website with title, authors, and abstract per article, possibly on OJS without XML export. Action: Evaluate OJS JATS plugins; pilot one article.

Level 2: Sporadic XML

Generated XML for some repository submission with external help, without systematic validation or template. Action: Document template; implement continuous validation.

Level 3: Operational XML

Functional XML pipeline with validation, documented template, trained team. Action: Optimize automation; explore second destination (PMC).

Level 4: XML as Canonical Source

JATS is source format; PDF and HTML are derivatives. Continuous validation; multiple destinations. Action: Innovation (automatic HTML, metrics, APIs).

Building the Business Case

Costs of NOT Adopting XML

• Lost authors preferring indexed journals.
• Ineligibility for funder requirements.
• Rework: fixing indexing errors costs more than prevention.
• Invisibility in SciELO, PubMed, Google Scholar.

Costs of Adopting XML

For a journal with 24 articles/year, complete outsourcing costs $720-$3,600 annually—often less than one issue's advertising budget.

Return on Investment

• SciELO indexing increases access 3-10x in the first year.
• Authors from evaluation-driven institutions prefer indexed journals.
• OA policy compliance avoids funder conflicts.
• XML enables automatic HTML, reducing web layout costs.

Roles and Responsibilities

Director / Editor-in-Chief (You)

• Decide XML strategy (internal, external, hybrid).
• Approve production budget.
• Define destination priorities (SciELO, PMC, Redalyc).
• Supervise quality indicators (rejection rate, timelines).
• Need not edit XML; need to understand the workflow.

Production / Technical Editor

• Operates conversion pipeline.
• Validates XML against JATS and destination rules.
• Maintains template and technical documentation.
• Manages external provider relationship if applicable.

Section / Associate Editors

• Verify author metadata upon acceptance.
• Confirm manuscripts use consistent Word styles.
• Do not produce XML, but their review-phase work impacts final XML quality.

Authors

• Provide ORCID, complete affiliations, and funding.
• Use Word template with predefined styles.
• Deliver high-resolution figures separately.

Editorial Workflow with XML

Optimal Integration Point

XML production should start after final acceptance and in parallel with copyediting, not after publication:

• Metadata confirmed upon acceptance.
• Copyediting corrections incorporated into XML.
• Validation occurs before publishing.

Metadata Form Upon Acceptance

Implement a form authors complete upon acceptance: full name per author, ORCID, complete institutional affiliation, funding, conflicts of interest. This form feeds directly into <article-meta> and prevents 60% of metadata errors.

Quality Indicators for Supervision

Low validation rates indicate process problems (template, training, input format), not validation itself.

Key Strategic Decisions

When to Start?

Now, if planning SciELO indexing within 12 months, facing institutional OA pressure, or authors asking about PubMed/SciELO visibility.

After regularizing, if lacking electronic ISSN, OA policy, or documented peer review.

SciELO First or PMC?

• SciELO first for regional audience publishing in Spanish/Portuguese.
• PMC first for biomedical journals with global English-speaking audience.
• Both if capable; design XML for the strictest standard (PMC).

OJS as Production Hub?

Evaluate JATS plugins for your OJS version. OJS manages metadata and editorial workflow; plugins generate base XML. Expect post-export review and validation needs.

90-Day Implementation Plan

Month 1: Foundations

Define strategy, train production editor on basic JATS (complete JATS guide), implement metadata form, configure JATS validator.

Month 2: Pilot

Convert 2-3 articles, validate, correct, document recurring errors, create journal XML template.

Month 3: Operation

Produce XML for next complete issue, batch validation, corrections, repository delivery or web publication with XML as source.

Risks and Mitigation

EditorialXML Services for Directors

• JATS XML production: complete conversion with validation.
• SciELO preparation: SPS package ready for delivery.
• JATS validator: free validation to supervise internal quality.
• Request a quote: budget adapted to your journal's volume.

Questions to Ask Your Team (or Provider)

1. What percentage of articles pass JATS validation on first attempt?
2. Do we have a documented, versioned XML template?
3. How long does XML production take per article?
4. Are DOIs registered before or after publication?
5. What indexing destinations does our current XML support?
6. What happens if the production editor leaves?
7. What is our per-article cost vs. budget?

Unclear answers indicate a management gap you as director must close.

Conclusion

Editorial XML production is not a technical project to delegate and forget: it is a strategic editorial capability requiring your decision, budget, and supervision. Journals treating XML as investment—not expense—achieve smooth indexing, satisfied authors, and long-term sustainability.

Your concrete next step: assess your journal's maturity with this guide's table, define your strategy, and pilot an article with the JATS validator or request an evaluation through JATS XML production.