If you’re setting up an academic journal or managing one through OJS, you’ve probably wondered: Should I use traditional page numbers or switch to article numbers? Do I really need both volume and issue? What do PubMed and Scopus actually require?

These questions matter more than you might think. The wrong choice can cause indexing problems, citation errors, and headaches down the road. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about article numbering systems, helps you choose the right model for your journal, and shows you how to configure it properly in OJS.

Understanding the Basics

Before diving into the details, let’s clarify what each term means:

Volume

A volume is the highest-level grouping of articles, typically corresponding to one calendar year. Some high-output journals publish multiple volumes per year, but one volume per year is standard.

Example: Journal of Chemistry, Volume 48 (2024)

Issue

An issue is a subdivision within a volume. Depending on publication frequency, a journal might have 2, 4, 6, 12, or more issues per year.

Example: Volume 48, Issue 3 (May-June 2024)

Page Numbers (fpage/lpage)

Page numbers indicate where an article begins and ends:

• fpage (First Page): The starting page
• lpage (Last Page): The ending page

Example: Pages 245-260

In traditional journals, page numbers run continuously throughout a volume. So Issue 1 might be pages 1-150, Issue 2 would be 151-300, and so on.

Elocation-ID (Article Number)

An elocation-id (electronic location identifier) is a unique article identifier that replaces physical page numbers in digital publishing. Think of it as a permanent address for your article that doesn’t depend on where it sits in a printed issue.

Common formats:

• e12345 (PLOS, eLife style)
• 2024.01.15.576123 (preprint style)
• 100234 (simple numeric)
• eabc1234 (Science Advances style)

The elocation-id is essential for continuous publishing, where articles are published as soon as they’re ready rather than waiting for an issue to be compiled.

How Academic Publishing Has Changed

The Print Era (1665-1990s)

For over 300 years, academic publishing followed the same basic model:

• Articles were collected into “issues” at regular intervals
• Issues were printed and mailed to subscribers
• Page numbers ran sequentially through each volume
• At year’s end, issues were bound into volumes

The volume + issue + page number combination uniquely identified every article.

The Digital Transition (1990s-2010s)

When journals moved online, they initially just created digital copies of print issues:

• PDFs replicated the print version exactly
• Page numbers were preserved in digital format
• Issues were still published as complete units

Modern Digital Publishing (2010s-Present)

The last decade has fundamentally transformed how journals operate:

Continuous Publishing: Articles are published immediately upon acceptance, without waiting for an issue. This is crucial in fast-moving fields like medicine and biology where timely dissemination can impact patient care.

Online-First / Ahead of Print: Articles appear online before being assigned to an issue.

HTML and XML-First Workflows: Instead of PDF-centric production, modern journals produce structured, searchable, accessible content. JATS XML has become the standard format for scholarly articles.

Four Publishing Models Compared

Model 1: Traditional (Volume + Issue + Pages)

Model 2: Volume + Elocation-ID (No Issues)

Model 3: Issue Only + Pages

Model 4: Continuous Publishing

What Each Index Actually Requires

This is where it gets practical. Different indexes have different requirements, and getting this wrong can cause real problems.

Requirements Comparison Table

*For continuous publishing in PMC, year can substitute for volume.

Critical Rules You Must Know

PubMed and PubMed Central (PMC)

PubMed is the world’s largest biomedical literature database. Their requirements are clear:

Golden Rule: Either fpage (first page) OR elocation-id MUST be present. Articles without one or the other will be rejected.

✅ Valid: Volume: 48, Issue: 3, fpage: 245, lpage: 260
✅ Valid: Volume: 2024, elocation-id: e12345
❌ Invalid: Volume: 48, Issue: 3 (no page or elocation!)

Crossref

Crossref manages the DOI system. For DOI registration:

Golden Rule: DOI is mandatory. Other metadata fields are optional but highly recommended—the richer your metadata, the better citation linking works.

Scopus and Web of Science

These selective indexes consider metadata quality when evaluating journals:

• Consistent metadata structure across all articles
• Complete author information and affiliations
• Proper date formatting
• Structured reference lists

Important: Metadata inconsistencies (some articles have volume, others don’t) can be grounds for rejection when applying for indexing!

Which Model Should You Choose?

Decision Tree

How many articles does your journal publish per year?
│
├─► 50+ articles/year
│   │
│   └─► Consider Continuous Publishing + Elocation-ID
│       (Articles published as soon as ready)
│
├─► 20-50 articles/year
│   │
│   ├─► Can you maintain a regular issue schedule?
│   │   │
│   │   ├─► Yes → Traditional (Volume + Issue + Pages)
│   │   │
│   │   └─► No → Volume + Elocation-ID (no issues)
│
└─► Fewer than 20 articles/year
    │
    └─► Traditional model or issue-only model

Recommendations by Discipline

Switching from One Model to Another

Already publishing with one model and want to change? It’s possible, but requires careful planning.

Switching from Page Numbers to Elocation-ID

When to switch:

• Publication volume is increasing
• Issue compilation is creating bottlenecks
• Authors complain about publication delays

How to switch:

1. Clean break: Start using elocation-id from a specific volume/year
   • Example: “Starting with Volume 49 (2025), articles will use article numbers instead of page numbers”
2. Gradual transition: Assign elocation-id for online-first, then add page numbers when compiling issues

What to do:

• Notify all indexes in advance
• Update your website with an explanation
• Preserve archive records

Switching from Volume + Issue to Volume Only

This transition is relatively straightforward:

1. Publish your final issue and announce: “Future articles will be published continuously without issue numbers”
2. Define your elocation-id format (e.g., e2025001, e2025002…)
3. Update your metadata templates

Switching to Continuous Publishing

This is the most comprehensive change, requiring:

Technical infrastructure:

• Per-article DOI registration (not batch)
• Online-first publication system
• HTML/XML-first workflow

Process changes:

• Each article finalized independently
• No page layout or issue compilation
• Publication date = acceptance + production time (typically 1-4 weeks)

Index notifications:

• Formal notification to PubMed, Scopus, WoS
• Updated Crossref metadata structure

Transition Checklist

• [ ] Does the ISSN need updating? (Usually no)
• [ ] Website citation guide updated?
• [ ] Authors informed of new citation format?
• [ ] Indexes formally notified?
• [ ] OJS settings updated?
• [ ] DOI registration templates updated?

OJS Configuration Guide

If you’re using Open Journal Systems, here’s how to configure each model:

Traditional Model Setup

1. Go to Settings → Journal → Masthead
2. Configure your publication schedule
3. For each issue, go to Issues → Create Issue:
   • Set Volume number
   • Set Issue number
   • Pages will be assigned per article
4. When adding/editing articles, enter:
   • Pages: e.g., “245-260”

Elocation-ID Setup (OJS 3.3+)

1. Go to Settings → Workflow → Submission → Metadata
2. Enable the “Pages” field (this can hold elocation-id)
3. For articles, enter the elocation-id in the Pages field:
   • Pages: e12345
4. In your citation style, ensure elocation-id displays correctly

Continuous Publishing Setup

1. Create a single “issue” for the entire year:
   • Volume: 2025
   • Issue: Leave blank or use “1”
   • Year: 2025
2. Publish articles directly to this “issue” as they’re ready
3. Use elocation-id for each article
4. The publication date will be recorded individually per article

Need help configuring OJS? At ojs-services.com, we help journals set up and configure OJS for any publishing model. Whether you need installation, migration, or ongoing support, we’re here to help your journal succeed.

JATS XML Examples

For those producing JATS XML (required for PMC and recommended for many indexes), here are the correct structures:

Traditional Model

<article-meta>
  <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1234/example.2024.001</article-id>
  <volume>48</volume>
  <issue>3</issue>
  <fpage>245</fpage>
  <lpage>260</lpage>
  <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="print">
    <day>15</day>
    <month>06</month>
    <year>2024</year>
  </pub-date>
</article-meta>

Volume + Elocation-ID

<article-meta>
  <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1234/example.2024.e12345</article-id>
  <volume>2024</volume>
  <elocation-id>e12345</elocation-id>
  <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="electronic">
    <day>20</day>
    <month>01</month>
    <year>2024</year>
  </pub-date>
</article-meta>

Continuous Publishing

<article-meta>
  <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1234/example.2024.01.15.123456</article-id>
  <volume>2024</volume>
  <elocation-id>2024.01.15.123456</elocation-id>
  <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="electronic">
    <day>15</day>
    <month>01</month>
    <year>2024</year>
  </pub-date>
  <pub-date date-type="collection">
    <year>2024</year>
  </pub-date>
</article-meta>

Issue Only

<article-meta>
  <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1234/example.45.001</article-id>
  <issue>45</issue>
  <fpage>1</fpage>
  <lpage>15</lpage>
  <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="print">
    <month>03</month>
    <year>2024</year>
  </pub-date>
</article-meta>

Pro Tip: Need to convert your PDFs to JATS XML? Tools like FullTextCreator.com can help automate the conversion process while maintaining proper metadata structure for all publishing models.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: No Page Number AND No Elocation-ID

This will cause PubMed rejection:

<!-- WRONG -->
<volume>48</volume>
<issue>3</issue>
<!-- Where's the page number or elocation-id? -->

Fix: Always include either fpage or elocation-id.

Mistake 2: Using Both Page Numbers and Elocation-ID Inconsistently

<!-- CONFUSING -->
<fpage>1</fpage>
<lpage>15</lpage>
<elocation-id>e12345</elocation-id>
<!-- Which one is authoritative? -->

Fix: Pick one system and stick with it. If using elocation-id, don’t add page numbers.

Mistake 3: Volume Without Year Context

<!-- AMBIGUOUS -->
<issue>3</issue>
<fpage>245</fpage>
<!-- Issue 3 of which year? -->

Fix: Always include volume or year information.

Mistake 4: Inconsistent Metadata Across Articles

Some articles have volume and issue, others have only volume, others have neither—this inconsistency can harm your indexing applications.

Fix: Use the same metadata structure for every article.

Mistake 5: Changing Models Mid-Volume

Starting the year with page numbers and switching to elocation-id mid-year creates confusion.

Fix: If switching models, do it at the start of a new volume/year.

Conclusion

Choosing the right article numbering system isn’t just a technical decision—it affects your journal’s discoverability, citation accuracy, and indexing success.

Key Takeaways

1. For new journals: Consider starting with elocation-id and volume-only. It provides flexibility for the future.
2. For established journals: You can keep your traditional model, but consider adding online-first publication.
3. For high-volume journals: Seriously evaluate continuous publishing.
4. For all journals:
   • Always use DOIs
   • Produce JATS XML output
   • Maintain metadata consistency
   • Collect author ORCIDs

The Golden Rule

Whatever model you choose, consistency is key. Pick a model, inform all indexes, and apply the same standard to every article.

Need Help?

Setting up or reconfiguring your OJS journal? Have questions about metadata, indexing, or publishing models?

Contact us at ojs-services.com:

• OJS Installation and Hosting
• OJS Upgrades and Migration
• Custom Theme Development
• 24/7 Technical Support

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This guide provides general information about academic publishing standards. For specific index requirements, please consult the official documentation of each indexing service.

Useful Links:

• JATS Official Documentation
• PubMed Publisher Guide
• Crossref Metadata Guide
• DOAJ Application Guide
• OJS Documentation

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