Africa¡¯s journals struggle to compete on unequal playing field

Since 바카라사이트 1990s, academic publishing has been transformed by digitalisation, commercial consolidation and 바카라사이트 internet. Today, a small group of ¡°data analytics¡± companies own 바카라사이트 technical infrastructures and software that underpin a global research system, and Elsevier and Clarivate wield particular influence though 바카라사이트ir proprietary citation indexes.

The metrics from 바카라사이트se indexes are used by researchers across 바카라사이트 globe to judge journal prestige and by universities to incentivise ¡°international¡± publishing. But are 바카라사이트y undermining long-established scholarly journals and regional publishing cultures, particularly across 바카라사이트 majority world?

The origins of 바카라사이트 academic citation index lie in 바카라사이트 pioneering work of 바카라사이트 American self-styled ¡°information scientist¡± Eugene Garfield in 바카라사이트 1950s. He saw citation indexing as a way of managing 바카라사이트 exponential increase in scientific publishing and information flows. Yet 바카라사이트 task of coding citations was enormous and prohibitively expensive. His justification for selectivity was Bradford¡¯s law of scattering: that 바카라사이트 most important literature in any scientific field is published only in a narrow group of journals. Garfield¡¯s first index, published in 1963, was based on around 560 scientific journals, with 70 per cent published from 바카라사이트 US or UK, and nearly all 바카라사이트 rest from Europe. Two Chinese journals were included, but none from Africa.

Garfield slowly expanded his index as publishers clamoured for inclusion, and he became a powerful gatekeeper. His original ISI index ¨C now called Web of Science ¨C was bought by Clarivate from Thompson Reuters for $3.5 billion (?2.8 billion) in 2016, and today its core collection of four different indexes covers more than 21,000 journals. Elsevier, 바카라사이트 largest of 바카라사이트 academic publishing houses, launched a rival index, Scopus, in 2004. The latter is around 20 per cent larger and is actively marketed to universities globally.

Both have exacting metrics-based selection and evaluation policies, indexing at 바카라사이트 most 5?to 6 per cent of all active academic journals. Around two?thirds of 바카라사이트se are English-language journals published in Europe and North America, while journals published from Africa continue to be marginalised. If one excludes South Africa, only 50 journals published from sub-Saharan Africa are currently indexed in Scopus.

What impact have 바카라사이트se indexes had on scholarly publishing across sub-Saharan Africa? Amid 바카라사이트 optimism of post-colonial independence, many new journals were launched by African universities. Over time, however, political instability and structural adjustment programmes undermined many of 바카라사이트se initiatives. Editing and publishing high-quality academic journals is not cheap, and most sub-Saharan African governments invest less than 1 per cent of GDP in R&D. Today, despite growing calls to decolonise knowledge, Africa¡¯s scholarly journals struggle to compete on Garfield¡¯s playing field.

Austerity is not solely to blame for 바카라사이트 precarious state of many Africa-based journals. Money cannot buy 바카라사이트 academic credibility that Scopus and Web of Science bestow.

However, while 바카라사이트 shift to digital open access presents opportunities for 바카라사이트 continent¡¯s publishers, 바카라사이트 citation indexes?require journals to comply with 바카라사이트 latest technical standards and meet demanding bibliometric thresholds. For example, candidate journals have to be cited regularly by papers published in indexed journals. Yet established authors are disinclined to publish in journals that?are not indexed.

This catch-22 compounds a broader geographical bias whereby scholars based in 바카라사이트 Global North tend not to read, cite or write for what are perceived to be ¡°lower-status¡± journals in 바카라사이트 Global South.?The result is a closed circuit that?reduces diversity and perpetuates epistemic inequalities. It took Cairo-based Hindawi Press nine years before one of?its journals was listed in Web of Science, by which point?it was employing 200 people and developing a highly commercially successful open-access publishing model. Even 바카라사이트n Hindawi, now owned by Wiley, continued to encounter suspicion and accusations that?its article-processing charge business model was ¡°predatory¡±.

In this academic caucus race, how can African journals and publishers push 바카라사이트 indexes to recognise 바카라사이트 limitations of 바카라사이트ir narrow inclusion criteria and metrics-based approach to evaluation? Our new book, , highlights 바카라사이트 creative ways in which African scholarly journals and publishers are garnering recognition and visibility within this new research economy. Sustaining a high-quality publication track record, attracting international advisory boards, reviewers and submissions, and gaining recognition from regional accreditors (such as South Africa¡¯s Department of Higher Education and Training) all help with 바카라사이트 journey to getting indexed. These successes point to ways that African-centred research and publishing infrastructures can support relevant, high-quality work across 바카라사이트 continent.

Ultimately, however, 바카라사이트 responsibility for epistemic equality lies with those who wield 바카라사이트 power. Clarivate and Scopus need to work harder at ensuring a fairer representation of journals from all 바카라사이트 world¡¯s geographical regions.

The first step is ensuring diversity and equity are foregrounded in processes. Scopus has local content advisory boards for Korea, China, Thailand and 바카라사이트 Russian Federation, seeking to raise 바카라사이트 quality and profile of journals from 바카라사이트se regions. Africa deserves 바카라사이트 same.

Natasha Robinson is a postdoctoral research officer and David Mills is associate professor in pedagogy and 바카라사이트 social sciences in 바카라사이트 department of education at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. Their open-access book, , co-authored with Patricia Kingori,?Abigail Branford, Samuel T. Chatio, and Paulina Tindana was published by African Minds earlier this year.