The ZPID uses the Public Knowledge Project's (PKP) OJS for all its journals offered in PsychOpen GOLD, as well as for its new PreReg portal. "First and foremost, this benefits the users of our services because they can now access all services with their ORCID-based ZPID account," says Roland Ramthun, Head of IT Services. Creating "local" accounts is no longer necessary. A main advantage of the single sign-on plugin for ZPID is the simplification of user management.
In addition to freely configurable OpenID Connect providers, such as Keycloak, the option of using preconfigured providers is also supported. "Currently these are ORCID, Google, Microsoft, and Apple," says developer Ronny Bölter, as he explains the technical features of the plugin.
The use of providers can be freely configured. It is possible to use several providers at the same time or to use a single provider. The OJS login page is automatically adjusted depending on the selected settings. Furthermore, the plugin can automatically generate OJS API (Application Programming Interface) keys. This feature enables external services to retrieve data from OJS systems without the need for users to generate API keys, as was previously required.
The plugin was specifically designed to meet the needs of not only ZPID but also the broader OJS community. It is now included in the official plugin list, making it possible to add it to any existing OJS installation with just a few clicks. "We have been seeing many requests in the official PKP forums for single sign-on solutions for OJS, so this plugin is in high demand, and we anticipate that it will be well received due to its significant reuse potential and its straightforward application," says Roland Ramthun.
Links to Code in Github Repository: https://github.com/leibniz-psychology/pkp-openid