Conference & Proceedings
Academic Stack supports conference proceedings as a powerful extension of its core journal publishing system.
When creating a new publication venue in Academic Stack, publishers can choose from two primary types:
- Journal: Designed for regular, ongoing journal publishing.
- Proceedings Journal: Tailored specifically for publishing conference proceedings.
Both publication types share the same robust foundation, encompassing journal settings, comprehensive article metadata, PDF hosting, DOI workflows, customizable publication pages, and indexing support. The Conference & Proceedings module builds upon this foundation by integrating dedicated conference management tools. This ensures that conference records, proceedings issues, and individual articles remain seamlessly connected within a single unified system.
Conference papers are published using the standard article publishing workflow. A proceedings journal replaces the traditional volume-and-issue management interface with a conference-centric approach, while ensuring all published articles remain fully compatible with standard volumes, issues, metadata, DOIs, ISBNs, and article pages.
Publishing Model
Academic Stack employs the following hierarchical structure for proceedings publishing:
Proceedings Journal
↳ Conference
↳ Volume / Issue
↳ Proceedings Articles
This structure guarantees that conference articles remain compatible with traditional journal-style publishing while preserving essential conference-specific details.
For publishers managing recurring conference events or brands, an optional Conference Series layer is available:
Proceedings Journal
↳ Conference Series
↳ Conference
↳ Volume / Issue
↳ Proceedings Articles
This module is designed primarily for conference publishing and proceedings presentation. It is not intended to serve as a comprehensive event-management system (e.g., for ticketing, hotel reservations, onsite check-in, or complex attendee logistics).
Proceedings Journal
A Proceedings Journal is a specialized journal type dedicated to conference-based publications.
It leverages the same core infrastructure as a standard journal, including:
- Article pages
- Volume and issue structures
- Publication metadata
- DOI workflows
- PDF hosting
- Indexing support
- Editorial and production settings
Simultaneously, it provides access to a suite of conference-specific management features.
A proceedings journal is not a separate, standalone platform. It is a specific journal type that utilizes the same underlying architecture as regular journals, using conference management as its primary organizational entry point.
Regular Journal vs. Proceedings Journal
| Type | Primary Management Focus | Publication Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Journal | Volumes and Issues | Volume → Issue → Articles |
| Proceedings Journal | Conferences | Conference → Volume / Issue → Articles |
In a standard journal, publishers directly create and manage volumes and issues.
In a proceedings journal, publishers first manage conferences. A conference can then be directly linked to a specific volume and issue, ensuring that the published conference papers align with the standard article publication structure.
Conference Series
A Conference Series represents a recurring conference program or established brand.
Examples:
- International Conference on Education Innovation
- Symposium on Educational Technology
- Forum on Higher Education Development
A single series can encompass multiple conferences spanning different years or iteration periods.
Series are administered from a dedicated management page. Once created, publishers can select the appropriate series when creating or editing an individual conference.
Note: Not every conference requires a series. For one-time events, workshops, or special proceedings, publishers can create a conference directly without associating it with a series.
Conference
A Conference represents a single, specific event.
Each conference record can store and display:
- Title and acronym
- Year, date, and location
- Summary and landing-page content
- Call for Papers (CFP) information
- Submission or registration links
- Visual design and layout settings
- Linked volume and issue (if applicable)
- ISBN information for the proceedings issue (if applicable)
- Issue cover, cover story, and cover article configurations (if applicable)
The conference serves as the vital bridge between the public-facing conference webpage and the formally published proceedings articles.
Conference Management
The Conference Management interface is the central hub for creating and maintaining conference records.
From this dashboard, publishers can oversee:
- Conference series (via a dedicated sub-management page)
- Individual conferences
- Public-facing conference web pages
- Publication stages
- Volume and issue linking (configurable on the conference create/edit page)
- ISBN details for linked proceedings issues
- Page design elements, widgets, cover images, cover stories, and cover articles
① Conference menu ② Series management (add, edit, design) ③ Add a new conference
Conference series are maintained independently. When creating or editing a conference, publishers simply select from previously defined series.
Volume and issue linking is also managed within the conference form. Publishers determine if a conference corresponds to a specific volume and issue, and populate the relevant fields accordingly. When linked, the form expands to include issue-level publication settings such as ISBNs, issue covers, cover stories, and presentation preferences.
Linking Conferences With Issues and Articles
The conference module purposefully does not create an isolated, separate article system. Instead, it seamlessly links conference data to the existing publication framework:
Conference
↳ Volume
↳ Issue
↳ Articles
During conference setup or editing, publishers can opt to link the event to a volume and issue. The volume and issue fields are integrated directly into the conference creation and editing workflow.
- Linked Conference: The conference corresponds to a specific volume and issue, and its proceedings articles are published within that issue.
- Unlinked Conference: The conference record is used to generate a public webpage without immediately creating or selecting a publication issue.
Publishing a conference article is identical to publishing a regular journal article. The article page layout, metadata schema, PDF delivery, DOI registration, and display logic remain completely unchanged. The only addition is that the article clearly displays its affiliation with the specific conference.
Conference Page and Portal
Each conference can feature its own dedicated public webpage. From the management area, publishers have full control over visual settings, Call for Papers content, submission portals, and custom layout widgets.
Post-publication, this same page seamlessly transitions into the main entry point for the linked proceedings issue and its published articles.
Furthermore, Academic Stack offers a comprehensive public Conference Portal. This centralized hub lists all available proceedings journals, series, individual conferences, recently published articles, announcements, and relevant news.
Recommended Workflow
A standard end-to-end proceedings workflow typically follows these steps:
Create a Proceedings Journal
↳ Create a Conference Series (if applicable)
↳ Add a New Conference
↳ Select an Existing Series (if applicable)
↳ Configure the Public Conference Page
↳ Set Volume and Issue Links (when ready for publication)
↳ Populate ISBN and Issue Presentation Fields
↳ Publish Conference Articles
↳ Articles go live on the Conference Page and Portal
For conferences in the early planning stages, publishers can create the public page first to attract submissions, and add the formal publication linkages later.
Once ready for publication, publishers link the conference to a volume/issue, finalize the ISBN and presentation details, and publish the accepted manuscripts under the designated issue.
Key System Benefits
The Conference & Proceedings module empowers publishers to:
- Publish conference papers as formal, fully-featured Academic Stack articles.
- Leverage the robust existing journal infrastructure for conference publications.
- Flexibly manage both standalone events and recurring conference series.
- Seamlessly link conferences to formal volumes and issues when publication is imminent.
- Centralize the management of ISBNs, covers, and cover stories directly within the conference form.
- Provide dual-context visibility, displaying articles within both the traditional journal structure and the dedicated conference environment.