Public Knowledge Project (PKP) is an international academic initiative aimed at advancing open access to scholarly knowledge. Founded at the University of British Columbia, the project is now supported by multiple partner institutions. Its flagship achievement is Open Journal Systems (OJS) – open-source software used by thousands of journals worldwide to manage peer review and publish research articles online.
PKP also develops other tools, such as Open Monograph Press and Open Preprint Systems, supporting digital distribution of books and preprints. Together, they form an ecosystem that covers the entire publishing workflow: from submission, through peer review, to making content accessible to readers.
The project’s website provides not only technical documentation and software downloads but also a wide range of resources on open access practices, licensing, and the transformation of scholarly communication. Editors, authors, and reviewers can find guidance and case studies from implementations across the globe.
What makes the Public Knowledge Project stand out is its dual nature as both a research initiative and a provider of practical infrastructure. It is not a commercial platform but a collaborative effort of scholars, librarians, and developers who believe that scientific knowledge should be openly available to all.