A User Cannot See a Menu, Button, or Action They Expect
This usually happens because the user's role, or a setting linked to it, does not grant access to that part of JAMS.
What each person can see and do in JAMS is controlled by their role, such as Journal Editor, Handling Editor, Academic Editor, Publisher, or Super User. Roles are also often set per journal, so a user may have access in one journal but not in another. If a menu, button, or action is missing, it is almost always a role or settings issue rather than a fault.
Common symptoms
This article covers situations such as:
- The 'Handling Editor' box or list is empty, so you cannot assign a Handling Editor.
- There is no 'Publish' button, or no 'Submit' or 'Mark as Published' action, on a manuscript.
- A journal is missing from a user's menu, or they cannot see one of their journals.
- The option to make an editorial decision is not showing.
- A menu item is missing, such as 'Volume & Issue Management', 'Reports', or billing.
- A button appears greyed out, or clicking it does nothing.
- A user has been told they have a role but still cannot see the related options.
Important: Only a Super User can manage roles and application settings for everyone. A Journal Editor can manage some editorial roles within their own journal. If you do not have these permissions, ask a colleague who does.
Instructions
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Confirm which role is needed for the action. Different actions require different roles, for example only a Journal Editor or Publisher can assign a Handling Editor. See Editorial Team: User Roles to check which role is required.
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Check that the user actually has that role. Open your user management and find the user, then confirm the expected role is assigned. See User Registration and Roles Assignment, or Editor Role Management for editorial roles.
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Check the role is assigned for the correct journal. Because roles can be journal-specific, a user may have, for example, Handling Editor access in one journal but not in the one they are currently working in. Make sure the role is set for the journal where the action is missing.
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Check whether the action depends on an application setting. Some actions are only available when a related feature is switched on. For example, Handling Editors and Journal Editors can only make editorial decisions when that feature is enabled. See Allow Handling Editors and Journal Editors to make Editorial Decisions.
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Confirm the user is signed in with the correct account. If a user has more than one email address in the system, they may be logged in under an account that does not hold the role. See Linking Multiple User Email Addresses.
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Ask the user to log out and back in. Changes to a role or an application setting may not appear until the user starts a fresh session. A quick log out and log back in usually resolves this.
📝 Note: If the menu, button, or action is still missing after the correct role is assigned and the user has logged back in, contact the JAMS support team with the user's name, the journal, and the exact action they are expecting, so we can investigate.
To check exactly which role grants the action a user is expecting, and what every role on a JAMS site can do, see the User Roles and Permissions reference article.
For more on the individual roles, see Super Users, Publishers, Journal Editors, and Handling Editors.