Can I see data on how the journal is being used by readers?
Yes!
Ubiquity has created a plugin for OJS that allows Editors and Journal Managers to see real-time site usage data for the frontend website. The plugin embeds a dashboard from our site analytics provider, Plausible.io, which allows the editor/journal manager to view data such as:
- current site users (i.e. live usage)
- unique visitors
- total page views
- total user visits
- pages views per visit
- visit duration
- how site users navigate to the journal
- which pages are viewed
- location of viewers
All of the data can be filtered by date, which can then be compared against different timelines (e.g. this year vs last year). The data can also be exported so that it can be analysed outside of the journal platform.
By using Plausible.io, all user data is anonymised, ensuring that the privacy of the journal users is maintained whilst still providing valuable information to the journal’s editorial team.
The plugin should be installed and enabled when the journal launches. If you do not see the Site Usage option in the lefthand editor menu then please contact your Editorial Account Manager.
If you can access the Site Usage page, but do not see the dashboard, check whether you have an ad-blocker installed on your browser (or are using a browser that blocks ads as default - e.g. Brave). If so, then add the journal to the exceptions list, or change the blocking settings to allow the Plausible widget to display.
This plugin is open source and available to non-Ubiquity users. Download and installation details can be found at https://gitlab.com/ubiquitypress/ojs-plugin-site-usage