Introducing Connexions SWORD API

In collaboration with the Public Knowledge Project, makers of the Open Journal System (OJS) software, Connexions has rolled out a new API allowing content in Word format from OJS journals to be imported for republication in Connexions/Rhaptos. The transfer is accomplished via SWORD (Simple Web-service Offering Repository Deposit). See our development site for technical documentation.

From an OJS journal that has been set up to work with Connexions, an author or editor enters their Connexions username and password and is provided a list of their work areas in Connexions. Having selected one of these, the user then chooses the articles in Word format that they want to deposit, and the submitted articles will be imported into the indicated location in Connexions. A new module is created with the title and metadata provided by the journal.

Since the content is likely to have already been published in the journal, features have been added to support that workflow.

• A citation to the original publication is automatically added to the end of each module (this can be removed by the author), if one is provided by the journal.


• A prominent reminder to review the citation, to review the authors/editors, and to preview the module appear in the module editing interface.


• The role management interface includes convenient links to search the repository for names of people found as role-holders in the original publication.


• The Creative Commons license must be agreed to before the content can be published in Connexions/Rhaptos.

While developing this new feature, we also provided a pathway for users of all content in Connexions to upgrade the version of their existing Creative Commons licenses. Content published under older versions of the license now require an agreement to upgrade to the latest version before it can be republished.

Since SWORD is an open standard, The Connexions SWORD API can be used outside OJS also. The API covers new module creation with appropriate metadata and importation and translation of Word documents into CNXML in new modules.

This work was supported by Indiana University as part of the Big Digital Machine project to enhance scholarly workflow for the digital age.