Paper Submission Tracking System – Setup Guide

✅ SIMPLE PAPER TRACKING SYSTEM FOR IJCT

This guide will help you set up a free, simple paper submission tracking system using tools you already have.

📋 WHAT YOU NEED (All FREE):

1. Google Sheets (for tracking database)
2. Forminator plugin (already installed on your site)
3. Make.com free account (for automation)
4. Your existing Gmail/Google One email

🎯 STEP-BY-STEP SETUP:

STEP 1: CREATE GOOGLE SHEET DATABASE

• Go to Google Sheets and create a new sheet
• Name it “IJCT Paper Submissions”
• Create columns: Paper ID | Author Name | Email | Paper Title | Status | Upload Date | Last Updated
• The Paper ID will be auto-generated (format: IJCT-2025-0001)

STEP 2: BUILD SUBMISSION FORM (In Forminator)

• Go to WordPress Admin → Forminator → Forms
• Create new form named “Paper Submission Form”
• Add these fields:
• Author Name (Text field, required)
• Email (Email field, required)
• Paper Title (Text field, required)
• File Upload (File upload field, accept .pdf .doc .docx)
• In Form Settings → Integrations:
• Connect to Google Sheets
• Map fields to your sheet columns
• Enable auto-increment for Paper ID

STEP 3: CREATE TRACKING PAGE

• Go to Pages → Add New
• Title: “Track Your Paper Status”
• Add paragraph: “Enter your Paper ID below to check your submission status”
• Embed Google Sheet (use iframe or Forminator lookup field)
• Or use simple table shortcode to display status

STEP 4: SET UP EMAIL AUTOMATION (Make.com)

• Sign up for Make.com free account
• Create scenario: Google Sheets → Gmail
• Trigger: When new row added to sheet
• Action: Send email with Paper ID and tracking link
• Template: “Your paper has been submitted. Track it at: https://ijctjournal.org/track-paper using ID: {Paper ID}”

STEP 5: UPDATE PAPER STATUS

• Simply edit the “Status” column in Google Sheet
• Options: Under Review | Accepted | Payment Pending | Published | Rejected
• Authors check status anytime via tracking page

🔗 TRACKING PAGE URL:
After publishing, your tracking page will be at:
https://ijctjournal.org/track-paper

💡 BENEFITS:
✓ No manual email work
✓ Authors can check status 24/7
✓ SEO benefit (recurring traffic)
✓ Completely FREE
✓ Easy to maintain

📧 NEED HELP?
Contact: editor@ijctjournal.org