We recently published a paper in the Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS): Journal of Open Source Software: FRAGMENT-MNP: A model of micro- and nanoplastic fragmentation in the environment .
It’s my first time using JOSS and I thought I’d share my experience, which was very refreshing compared to the usual paper publishing battle. JOSS is exclusively for research software, and by that, I mean the software itself rather than a scientific case study attached to the software. You only have to write a mini paper (a page or so), and the review process is GitHub-based and entirely open. This is the thread for our paper review: [REVIEW]: FRAGMENT-MNP: A model of micro- and nanoplastic fragmentation in the environment · Issue #8061 · openjournals/joss-reviews · GitHub
Honestly, it was actually a pleasant experience. I like open reviews, and I particularly liked it being via GitHub and therefore more conversational rather than formal. It took a while for us to get to the review stage (JOSS look like they’re a bit swamped - maybe that’s a reason to volunteer!), but no longer than a normal paper. It’s free and their GitHub-based workflow works like a charm.
So, if anyone is looking for an avenue to publish their research software, JOSS is worth a look! Are there any similar journals?