Before using the Editor's Scheduling page (see the submission's Editing page) to schedule submissions in an issue for publication, the Editor needs to use Create Issue to ensure that there is an issue in which to place the submissions. The issue needs to be identified with the appropriate numbers and/or title, depending on the option chosen in Setup (e.g., Vol 2, No 5, 2008). While the system will prompt the Editor in Create Issue with the next issue each time an issue is created, the Editor can override these settings and enter a new set of numbers or a different year. Issues also have the option of having a title added, which will appear above the Table of Contents, and can be used, for example, for special issues of the journal.

Subscription Control. If the Journal Manager has enabled subscription control for the journal (available under Journal Setup Step 4.1), the Editor has the option of enabling subscription control on a per-issue basis. Switching Access Status to Subscription will allow access only to subscribed users and institutions, while switching Access Status to Open Access will allow the entire issue's contents to be openly available. Furthermore, if Access Status is switched to Subscription, the Editor can provide an Open Access date, at which time the issue's content will be openly available.

Creating a cover page. There is also the option of uploading a cover illustration for the journal, in the form of a .jpg, .png or .gif file. This file will be accessible through the Table of Contents where it will be listed as Cover Page. It will appear on the journal's homepage while the journal issue is Current, and can be clicked on to reach the Table of Contents for that issue. Once the issue is archived, the cover will remain available with the issue through the Table of Contents.

Current, Future and Back Issues. The Current Issue is the is the most recently published issue. The Future Issues are where the Editor schedules submissions that are to be published next and into the future. The Editor may wish to ensure that there are always a series of two or three live, unpublished issues, which enables submissions to be scheduled over a couple of issues for reasons of balance, for example. The Back Issues are issues, no longer Current, that have already been published.