Scientific publishing · Open access
React · Node.js · File processing
2021
Bug fixes + missing features + UX
A bold publishing platform with execution gaps
Octopus had a clear vision: replace journals with something better for science. The build needed cleanup before the vision could land.
Octopus is designed to serve science and scientists, ensuring good scientific practice is recognized and rewarded, with no advantage for questionable research practices. Big ambition, important mission. The build coming in had multiple client-side and server-side errors, missing functionalities, and a design that wasn't fully implemented.
The job was to close those gaps. Fix the errors that were blocking authors from publishing. Build the missing functionality the design called for. And implement the visual and interaction patterns to the standard the vision deserved.
This wasn't a rebuild from scratch. It was a rescue and finish, where every fix had to respect the existing architecture and the academic users already on the platform.
The work that closed the gap between vision and product
Six focused work streams that turned a half-finished platform into something authors could rely on.
Clearer Publication Flow
Restructured the publishing process so authors understand what step they're on and what's next. Less confusion, more publications shipped.
Improved Search
Rebuilt search for publications and authors. Faceted filters, relevance tuning, and the discoverability academic publishing demands.
Author Metrics
Introduced the concept of measurable author metrics. Scientists see the impact of their contributions in a way that rewards quality, not gaming.
File Processing
Upload, edit, and download support for PDF and DOCX files, with versioning. Authors revise their work without losing history.
Rating & Flagging
Community-driven rating and flagging on publications. The platform leans on its users to surface quality.
Bug & Functionality Backlog
Worked through the client-side and server-side errors that had been blocking the platform from working as designed.
A publishing platform that delivers on the vision
After the rescue and finish work.
The publishing flow is intelligible to first-time authors, not just power users.
Search and filtering surface publications that used to be effectively hidden.
Author metrics + community rating + flagging give the platform a defensible quality layer.
A publishing-grade React + Node stack
Standard web stack, deployed with attention to the file-heavy, search-driven workload of an academic publishing platform.
React
Author-facing UI rebuilt with attention to the actual academic workflow. Long-form, multi-step, file-heavy.
Node.js
Backend for the publishing pipeline, search service, and file processing orchestration.
PostgreSQL
Relational data for publications, authors, versions, ratings, and the relationships between them.
Document Processing
PDF and DOCX upload, parsing, edit, and download. Versioning built into the storage layer.
Search Infrastructure
Faceted, relevance-tuned search across publications, authors, and metadata. Built to scale with the journal-replacement use case.
Cloud Storage
Versioned object storage for academic files. Authors can roll back to any prior version of their work.
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