Critical Issue with Reviewer Invitation Link in PKP OJS 3.5.0.3

[peditor]

Dear Support Team,

I am experiencing a critical issue in PKP OJS version 3.5.0.3 regarding the reviewer invitation process.

When I go to the “Reviewers” section and click “Add Reviewer,” the system successfully sends an invitation email to the reviewer. Upon the first click of the invitation link in the email, the reviewer is correctly redirected to the system and can access the review acceptance page without any issues.

However, if the same invitation link is clicked a second time (or any subsequent time), it results in a 404 Not Found error. The link only works on the first attempt and becomes invalid afterward.

This behavior is problematic because:

• Reviewers may need to access the link multiple times.

• If they accidentally close the page, they cannot reopen it.

• It creates confusion and interrupts the review workflow.

Additionally, this issue does not occur in earlier versions such as OJS 3.4.0, where the same functionality works as expected.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Go to Reviewers section.

2. Click “Add Reviewer.”

3. Send invitation email.

4. Click the invitation link (works correctly the first time).

5. Click the same link again → results in 404 error.

Expected behavior:
The invitation link should remain valid and accessible multiple times, or at least handle repeated access gracefully.

Actual behavior:
The link becomes invalid after the first use and returns a 404 error.

This is a critical issue that significantly affects the peer review process.

I would appreciate your urgent assistance in resolving this matter.

[asmecher]

Hi @peditor,

This should be resolved as part of #12208 with the 3.5.0-4 release (coming soon).

Regards,
Alec Smecher
Public Knowledge Project Team

[peditor]

Dear @asmecher,

Thank you for your response and for addressing this issue in the upcoming 3.5.0-4 release.

After reviewing the referenced commit, I understand that the current behavior intentionally invalidates the invitation link once it has been used, and instead directs the reviewer to log in or contact the journal manager. However, I would like to highlight a significant usability concern from an editorial workflow perspective.

In previous versions such as Open Journal Systems 3.4, reviewers were able to use the same invitation link multiple times—not only to accept the review but also to return and continue their evaluation without needing to log in. This “single-link access” approach provided substantial convenience, especially for reviewers who prefer not to create or use accounts.

In practice, many reviewers rely entirely on the invitation or reminder emails and complete their reviews simply by clicking the provided link. This frictionless experience has been extremely valuable in maintaining reviewer engagement and ensuring timely completion of reviews.

With the new behavior in Open Journal Systems 3.5, requiring reviewers to log in after the initial access introduces additional steps and potential confusion. This may lead to:

• Increased difficulty for less technical users

• Interrupted review workflows if the page is accidentally closed

• Lower reviewer response and completion rates

From our perspective, this change significantly impacts the usability of the peer review process.

Would you consider re-evaluating this workflow? Ideally, maintaining the ability for reviewers to access and continue their review via the same secure invitation link—without requiring login—would greatly improve usability and align better with established editorial practices.

Thank you again for your continued work on OJS and for considering this feedback.

Kind regards,