// build_guide
// How to build ISSN-Compliant Online Research Journal Publication Platform
Next.js provides SEO-critical server-side rendering essential for journal indexing and discoverability. PostgreSQL handles complex relational data (submissions, reviews, authors, citations) reliably, while Redis manages real-time notification queues. AWS S3 is the industry standard for storing and serving large PDF manuscripts securely at scale, and Razorpay alongside Stripe covers both Indian and international Article Processing Charges (APC) as required by ISSN India guidelines.
Complexity 8/10Marketplace
// recommended_stack
FrontendNext.js 14 (App Router) with Tailwind CSS and ShadCN UI
BackendNode.js with Express.js REST API
DatabasePostgreSQL (primary) + Redis (caching & sessions)
AuthNextAuth.js with role-based access (Author, Reviewer, Editor, Admin)
HostingAWS (EC2 + S3 for PDF storage + CloudFront CDN)
ExtraStripe + Razorpay for APC payments
ExtraOpenAI API for AI plagiarism/abstract assist
ExtraDOI integration via Crossref API
ExtraNodemailer + SendGrid for transactional emails
ExtraSocket.io for real-time review notifications
ExtraPDF.js for in-browser manuscript viewing
// cost_and_timeline
USD min
$8,000
USD max
$18,000
INR min
₹6.7L
INR max
₹15.0L
Typical Marketplace projects cost $9,500–$30,000 USD and take 14–24 weeks with an Indian dev team. See the full cost guide →
// timeline_breakdown
1.5 weeksDiscovery & Design
1.5 weeksAuth, Roles & User Onboarding
3 weeksSubmission & Review Workflow
1 weekPayment Integration (Razorpay + Stripe)
2 weeksAdmin Dashboard & Article Publishing
1.5 weeksAI Features, DOI & Integrations
1 weekReal-time Notifications & Email Flows
1.5 weeksQA, ISSN Compliance Review & Deployment
// mvp_features[]
## What to build in the MVP
-Home page with journal scope, ISSN number display, editorial board, and announcements
-Author registration and login with email verification (role-based: Author, Reviewer, Editor, Admin)
-Manuscript submission portal with multi-file upload (PDF, DOCX) and metadata form (title, abstract, keywords, authors)
-Double-blind peer review workflow: assign reviewers, submit reviews, editor decision panel
-Article Processing Charge (APC) payment gateway via Razorpay (INR) and Stripe (USD)
-Admin dashboard: manage submissions, issues, volumes, users, and payment records
-Published articles archive with issue/volume browsing, DOI display, and PDF download
-Crossref DOI registration integration for published articles
-Real-time email + in-app notifications for submission status, review assignments, and decisions
-AI-assisted abstract quality checker and basic similarity/plagiarism flag using OpenAI API
-Author guidelines and ethics policy static pages (COPE compliance)
-Responsive mobile-friendly design meeting ISSN Online portal standards
-Journal metrics page (article views, downloads, citation count stubs)
// risk_flags[]
## Engineering risks to plan for
!ISSN India compliance is non-negotiable: website must meet specific structural and metadata requirements (ISSN portal linking, MARC records, masthead page) — allocate dedicated QA time for compliance audit before ISSN application submission
!Double-blind peer review workflow is process-heavy with many edge cases (revisions, resubmissions, appeals) — scope creep risk is high; define exact workflow states in discovery phase before development begins
!Crossref DOI registration requires a paid Crossref membership (~$275/year) and XML metadata submission — factor this into operational costs, not just development costs
!Partial team status means gaps in execution; if reviewer/editor role logic is built by one developer without domain knowledge of academic publishing workflows, critical features may be misimplemented
!AI plagiarism checking via OpenAI is a basic similarity heuristic only — do NOT market this as a full plagiarism detection tool; journals with serious academic credibility will eventually need iThenticate/Turnitin which costs significantly more
!Budget classified as 'growth' but complexity score is 8/10 — if actual budget is under ₹8,00,000, the AI features, real-time layer, and both payment gateways should be phased; attempting all features under budget will result in poor quality across the board
✦ Get a scope tailored to your idea
This scope was auto-generated from a real founder's inputs. Run the estimator with your specific requirements - free, no sign-up, results in 2 minutes.
// related_resources